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- What is ADHD?
- Symptoms of ADHD
- Causes of ADHD
- Prevention of ADHD
- Risk factors for ADHD
- Complications of ADHD
- When to see a doctor about ADHD
- Diagnosis of ADHD
- Conventional treatment of ADHD
- Alternative/complementary treatment of ADHD
- Living with ADHD
- Caring for someone with ADHD
ADHD is diagnosed through a series of tests, questionnaires and assessment for other psychological disorders by a paediatrician, psychiatrist, registered psychologist or other health professional.
At least six of the symptoms of ADHD (from both the inattention and hyperactivity symptoms) need to be present for at least 6 months prior to a child turning seven, in at least two of their social situations (school, home, etc) for a child to be diagnosed with ADHD.
It is important that parents not self-diagnose their children with ADHD, as all healthy young children have a limited attention span and it may just be nothing. To determine if a child has ADHD, always seek the advice of a health professional.
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It is also essential that children with any type of behavioural problems who are suspected of having ADHD have other tests, such as:
- Allergy testing - children with ADHD are very sensitive to all influences and this includes allergens, which can cause hyperactive behaviour through the adverse effects they cause in sensitive individuals
- Blood tests - to determine if they have any nutritional deficiencies (such as omega-3 EFA, magnesium or zinc especially) which could be exacerbating their symptoms and to test blood sugar levels for hypoglycaemia
- Food sensitivity - children with ADHD often have food allergies or sensitivities and much of their subsequent behaviour may be due to this sensitivity; an elimination diet needs to be followed to work out if this food is causing any of the behavioural problems. The most common food sensitivity that can cause behavioural problems are: cow's milk, wheat (or gluten), oranges (and other citrus fruit), chocolate, peanuts, soy, eggs, corn, oats, apples, tomatoes. In order to test a food sensitivity, that food (and foods containing it) must be totally eliminated from the diet for two weeks (as must all foods with any artificial additives) and after that, the food can be re-introduced back into the diet to see if there are any reactions to it. This requires a lot of vigilance and strict monitoring and could be better accomplished with the help of a registered dietician or naturopath
- Heavy metal testing - hair analysis or blood tests should be done to determine if there has been chronic exposure to any heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium or mercury (chelation therapy is usually used to get rid of any heavy metal toxicity in the body, but it needs to be done by a qualified professional)
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