ADD/ADHD Process

My DS2 (just about to turn 7yrs old) has been seeing a Paed for initially day time incontinence. That has improved.
At our last appointment, she discussed getting him assessed for ADD/ADHD. This is due to his poor attention at school and when we have appointments with her, he constantly fidgets, wriggles and just does not sit still. She believes he may be on the low end of the scale and worth getting him assessed to get him some extra help especially at school.
The fidgeting also occurs at meal times and at school during sit down and listen time. He is also very easily distracted.

I have had a meeting with his teacher and literacy coach, this was before we headed down the Paed avenue. It was hinted in not so many words about his attention, at this time I thought they were angling for me to get him checked out for Auditory Processing.
He has had his hearing tested and passed with no trouble, she mentioned she had to prompt him a few times to actually listen.

After the last appointment with our Paed, she suggested I have a look at the Raising Childrens network website in the ADD/ADHD area.
I had a good look, he seems to hit quite a few of the dot points.

At this stage, we are just keeping an eye and ear out this term and I have spoken to his teacher about our appointment with his Paed. We have a review booked in to discuss at more lenghth and make a decision later in October.

So after all my above, my question is this, what is the process for a diagnosis and how long does it take?

Thanks in advance.

It requires the teacher and parent filling out a questionnaire. They are then reviewed by the paed.

If your child scores a particular number on the scale, they are diagnosed.

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It requires the teacher and parent filling out a questionnaire. They are then reviewed by the paed.

If your child scores a particular number on the scale, they are diagnosed.

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Same here we had the meeting with the teacher then scheduled the appointment with the peas took the parent/teacher answers to questionnaire gave that to the pead then they did a full interview assessment of Locky he was 7 - the peas will tell you what they feel is going on right then and there - then it was a couple of weeks with a written formal assessment for the school yourself and a copy to your dr! They will also discuss a plan of action with you re: medication if necessary (we tried it even though it didn't work for us) then a school action plan. Now it's more information retainment we are having issues with) school did a iq assessment and he was over 100 so the kid is smart he just has trouble remembering a long list of instructions. I repeat myself over and over and it's eventually starting to sink in! I know it can be overwhelming you are your child's rock and whatever your decision through your journey know that your an awesome carer and be gentle to yourself it can be tough! Xox

I guess our path is a bit different in that as well as the questionnaires we also have an assessment with an educational psychologist who will also do a wisc iv test and psychometric testing and some other stuff.

I should add my DD had an IQ test, etc the year before she was diagnosed by the school psych. The paed said he wouldn't do it again until she was older. He had the results of the tests when he made the diagnosis.

As Zazou said, my DS had a WISC and psychometric testing done at age 6-7. Many of the behaviours you have described could also describe my DS, ~H~, but the testing determined that he does not suffer from ADD/ADHD. He is a very smart, very active little boy who has a visual processing disorder and likes to push the boundaries!

My DS really struggled during 'sit down and listen' time at school and a sensory cushion for 12 months has worked wonders.

These active little boys are a challenge!

That's really interesting nickle730 and Zazou, I just had a quick look at the wisc-iv test.
The Paed did not elaborate on what sort of testing she was thinking about. This appointment was the first time she mentioned further testing as we initially went for his day time incontinence.
She had mentioned it based on how he is at the appointments and me bringing up the what went on at the meeting with his Teacher.

I read in another thread about the sensory cushion, at one stage the teacher mentioned DS2 had asked (he had seen another little boy with them) if he could wear headphones to block out noise. She gave them to DS2 and said that he actually sat and did his work withing minutes.

He is the sweetest funniest little boy, so in some ways this has come out of the blue to myself and DH.

All very helpful..Thankyou.

Sweet, funny children have ADD/ADHD too yanno ;)

Hope you get to the bottom of it and he gets the help he needs :)

He has been diagnosed with ADHD and we have been given a prescription for Ritalin. A very low does of 1/2 tablet in the morning and other 1/2 at lunch time.

If were to try and get a WISC and psychometric testing, is this through a child psychologist?

Subbing this topic. I had a very interesting conversation today with nothing2lose and I'm taking my ds2 to the gp tomorrow to discuss a ? ? diagnosis

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He has been diagnosed with ADHD and we have been given a prescription for Ritalin. A very low does of 1/2 tablet in the morning and other 1/2 at lunch time.

If were to try and get a WISC and psychometric testing, is this through a child psychologist?

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Yes a child psychologist would do a cognitive assessment (WISC-IV is not the only option but it is the most common).

But keep in mind that will only give you IQ scores. It depends on what you are trying to achieve by the assessment as to whether it will be helpful at all. If you are wondering about his academic skills as well, a WISC-IV alone probably won't be very helpful. I am a bit disappointed the paed didn't request a psychologist assessment prior to diagnosis anyway. Also monitor how he goes with the Ritalin, if you don't notice any changes over a few months then it is worthwhile discussing with the Dr whether they are worth it at all.

If he goes to a state school in Victoria you should be able to access the school psychologist through "student support services" who can do an assessment. But like any public service there is a wait, so if you want a quicker result going privately may be an option. Most of the universities have a clinic with provisional psychologist (in training) supervised to do assessments and it costs a lot less to do them this way. Just depends on what you want.

The school psych may also be able to support the school manage some of those behaviours if they are causing frustration in the classroom. But it's tricky, like any strength or weakness it's often about how he learns to cope and manage with it.

Feel free to PM me if you want, I might be able to give you some names or more direction if I know which part of Melbourne you are in.

That is really helpful myturn.

After discussions with my DH last night, we are not going to fill the Ritalin prescription just yet.
He goes to a Catholic Primary School. Your suggestion of school psychologist is perfect as I think the school does have one and as we have the diagnosis of ADHD, they would be more than willing to refer us to them.

His main problem is distraction and not being able to sit still. He was a little behind for the first couple of terms last year, we just worked a lot harder with him and made some headway towards last term with help from his teacher.

My husband is extremely wary of Ritalin and feels it should be an absolute last resort. We are going to try Fidgets and perhaps the sensory cushion as well.

I will PM you as well, as we would definitely consider a private psychologist if the school could not help in that regards.

Hi H,

My eldest son has ADHD. And as myturn said a child psychologist would do a cognitive assessment, we also worked close with the school based one, who spent one on one time with our DS. Again as myturn said Im not sure why you didn't have to do a psychologist assessment before you were given a diagnosis......we had the cognitive assessment plus a psychologist assessment and some other things too before our paed would even diagnose DS. Will try and pull out our paperwork later to let you know what tests we had done. :)

I don't have any advice, but just wanted to say that as your DS goes to a Catholic Primary School, definitely try access to the Pastoral Care facilities. They can be absolutely invaluable in terms of helping with a personal, social, physical, emotional, mental or spiritual nature. big :hug: hun, it must be difficult xx

I went to the gp today and have a referral to a paed, plus a mental health plan so I can get 6 subsidised visits to a child psychologist. What can I expect and should I tell the school now or wait until we have a diagnosis or not?

I should add that before the end of school term last year, we had an appointment with the Paed and she sent home an assessment that we filled in and one for the Teacher to fill. This is how the outcome came about on Thursday.

Traveller, I would tell your DS2's teacher and have a meeting. They may already be aware of issues. Have you had meetings with his teacher before? This is how we came about my DS2's problems in the first instance.
That way they may be able to get extra help in the class room for him.

H I was called into school at the end of term but the teacher seemed more concerned that DS2 needed to try harder and stop getting distracted by his friends/talking inappropriately. He also mentioned a lack of insight into the consequences of his actions/impulsiveness but adhd wasn't ever mentioned. It was only when I thought about his behaviour at school alongside the behaviour at home (which we have found some coping mechanisms for) that I thought it might be something more than just naughty behaviour. He will have a new teacher next week so I'll have a chat to her about my suspicions.

I haven't particularly liked his teachers the last two years so maybe it's just that, and maybe this new teacher will not have any issues. Time will tell I guess.

Definitely talk to his new teacher. Diagnosis or not, they'll get no where without an understanding teacher.

DD's diagnosis was a little more involved. I was more looking into the Sensory Processing side of things. I didn't even really think about ADD.
We though initially Auditory processing as well. We had her hearing tested & also had the school counsellor do an assessment. It was the school counsellor who noted her trouble with concentration (DD was only just 5 at the time).

We then went to the GP & got a referral for an occupational therapist, along with the ECP. We did our assessment & she decided that while DD did have issues with her tactile & vestibular senses, she also had concentration issues. We did a few sessions of OT, got some tips & went to the paed. He pretty much diagnosed her without the questionnaire, but we & her teacher filled it out anyway. Unfortunately by that point DD was at a smaller school that really had no idea what AD/HD was. That was frustrating....

We were prescribed Ritalin, but I took a while to fill the script. 3 months or more. I then only filled it so the script didn't get any more trashed in the bottom of my hand bag.

12 months later I finally gave up & started medication. After getting her report & basically she'd learnt nothing in 6 months. Her teacher (same one for about 20 months so far & another year with her this year) has been awesome. She even made DD a weighted vest to try. It helped with the fidgeting, but not the concentration.

We are now on long acting Ritalin & I'd say it'll be a long time before I try her without it. It also helps with her emotions at home. She's a VERY emotional child, & she does struggle with impulse control. (drew on walls til she was 7!)

She's come a very long way since starting meds. The difference was noticeable within days.


Once a child is diagnosed with ADD, they are also entitled to a Mental Health Care Plan, on top of the EPC. That's a further 12 subsidised sessions you're entitled too every 12 months.

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I went to the gp today and have a referral to a paed, plus a mental health plan so I can get 6 subsidised visits to a child psychologist. What can I expect and should I tell the school now or wait until we have a diagnosis or not?

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You will probably have to get information from the teacher for the assessment, either a questionnaire or referral form or something for the psychologist anyway... But if you are not sure whether the teacher is helping, might be best to wait until you've spoken with the psych /paed and see what they want from the school - if anything. That way, if the teacher does give information, it unbiased by your opinion or concerns, and the teacher is just responding to their own thoughts on the issue. If you had more confidence in the teacher that would be a different matter and you might like to discuss it first.

Quick update. I spoke to the psychologist today and she will meet with us next month. Following that myself and DS2's teacher will have a questionnaire to complete and she will also do he WISC-IV test and the WYATT test before considering a diagnosis. Can anyone tell me what to expect for those tests?

Hugs H must have come as a bit of a shock. The choice to use Ritalin or not is a huge decision, I hope you find something else that works first for you all.

I have a feeling we will have similar discussions with DS1 teacher once he starts school. He has attention issues and always has, we have been working with Speech Path and OT for 3 years on the attention to detail and lack of listening etc.

Traveller - the WISC (wechsler intelligence scale for children) is a cognitive assessment, so will assess his underlying intellectual abilities, across verbal, nonverbal, working memory and visual processing areas. It's an IQ test. But it's more complicated than just getting a single IQ score like you see on TV.

The WIAT (wechsler individual achievement test) is an assessment of academic skills. Reading, maths, written language and oral language. As they have been developed by the same people they can be compared to each other and used to assess whether the are learning difficulties as well as cognitive difficulties contributing to his difficulties at school.

It's good to get a battery of assessments like this. The psychologist will do it individually with him and separate from the classroom, so it is 1:1 and that can change behaviour etc, but does mean its the best conditions to get the best scores possible.

Then they will write a report combining all the information and make a call on what they think is happening, as well as provide recommendations. Every psych does thus differently though, so it depends on who you have as to what that will look like.

Happy to chat and advise more if you want to PM me.

Thanks myturn, I may pm you tonight c

A question for those of you who have your child on Ritalin.

How long did you hold onto the prescription before filling it? Did you start and stop and if you started and continue, what difference's has it made for your child..positive and negative.

myturn, what has been your experience with kids who take Ritalin?

My dd2 is on ritalin.

I had the script in my bag for a few months. Only filled it because it was getting trashed in there.
I then had the meds in the top of my pantry for 10-12 months before she started them. When she started I had her on 1/4 of the prescribed dose. Rather than a full one twice a day we started on a half one in the mornings. Then a full one. It was when her teacher asked that I think about the arvo one we started it. She could see the decline in the afternoons. She's now on long acting & we haven't looked back.

Dd doesn't take them on weekends or through holidays, but I'm wondering if she should start. She does come down from them & then needs to get used to them back in her system.
While she's adjusting she is quite irritable, picks skin around her fingers & toes & is overly emotional, but once she adjusts again, she's fine.

We won't be stopping them any time soon.

The kids I have seen... To be truely honest... Some have done really well on it, and some it's made little difference, and some it has made them really really lethargic and almost doped up.... But that's usually the ones whose parents muck around with the medication to suit themselves!

The kids who seem to benefit are the ones who really just cannot control their impulses and are constantly on the move.

Remember that just because you give it a try doesn't meant you have to stay on it forever... It needs a few weeks to really see if it is making a difference... And in my ideal world I'd prefer that doctors actually asked for some baseline data before the child starts on it, and then collect more data a few weeks down the track.

Like... Hoe many times the teacher has to redirect the child or something like that... But it's really hard to collect that data, so sometimes it just needs to be a more subjective impression. I probably wouldn't tell the teacher when the meds have started either... So they don't know what's happening and can give an independent review after a few weeks.

My DD has done really well on Ritalin. It has made a huge difference, and I have not noticed any negative effects to date. She is on 10mg a day. I believe this is a low dose.

When I started dd I did let her teacher know. But her teacher chose not to let her assistant know. That way she also had a completely unbiased oppinion.

It took 3 days on the half dose in the morning for the assistant to say something to the teacher. That's how fast they noticed a difference.

Hi all, I have been following this thread with interest. I suspect we have an undiagnosed family member with ADHD - female so it has not been picked up with the "typical" hyperactive pattern that is more commonly recognized in boys. She is that bit older, so harder to plug into free/funded services so we're trying to scrape some savings together to get some assessments done, more with a view of getting OT for self-organisation, etc. (Actually am also wondering if she has a touch of aspergers in the mix as well as there have been social difficulties all the way through, but that's a whole other thread).

DH most definitely has the ADHD thing going on, and (finally) is developing some self-awareness around it. One thing that we found helped enormously with him was a fatty acid supplement called Efalex. There was a period when he had to do intensive classroom-style learning for 9 months including some pretty intensive maths/physics/chemistry stuff, and he credits his success entirely to the Efalex. It took a few weeks for the effects to kick in, and it costs a bomb to take the adult dose, but in his case it was very effective.

I just thought I would mention this for the benefit of the mummas who are undecided about stimulant therapy. It's not an all or nothing proposition. You may feel more comfortable trialling some nutritional supports before committing to something like Ritalin. The effects may not be obvious over a couple of days, but over weeks or months become quite noticeable. There are also some interesting neuro-feedback treatments that have been used for 15 or 20 years that are not widely known about, but some people have found very effective as well. If you try something you can give yourself a timeframe to review the results & then either continue or move onto another therapy. :)

Thanks everyone, this is all very sound and helpful advice.
I really appreciate how upfront you all are.

DS1 is currently on slow release ritalin.
We tried fish oil, a naturopath who put him on a special diet with others sups ect. We tried that for 6months before we tried ritalin. He started on 1/ 2 a pill a day and slowly increased.

Like others you could def tell when it had worn off. We ended up changing to slow release as we like its the one dose and this way he doesnt have to have any at school. Other kids caught on he was having meds and would tease him.

We havent increased his meds in a long time,we had teachers who wanted it uped. But as his parents and his paed agreed we were right, but given his age he is going through hormonal changes and teens will be teens. He is bound to get tired and snappy,just like us.
I think a big part is people need to remember that meds or no meds kids are still going to be kids to a point. Dont expect them to be perfect,I say this as we have had teachers demand we up his meds as he wasnt just doing what he was told like a robot he wasnt being what they thought a child on meds should be....she wanted perfect behavior all the time.

Familyof3 - thats why I'm happy with the ritalin. Dd is still dd. She is still anxious, she still looses her cool & goes over the top when she does. She's just more focused & is learning at school.
Her self control has improved, but my only worry was her learning. She's learning. That's all that matters to me. And when people give their unwanted oppinions (as they do!), that's all I say.

Totally understand clover. Thats what we feel, he is able to calm enough to learn while still keeping who he is.

We are going down the nutritional nutrients path at the moment. We have seen a Naturopath, she did kinesiology on DS2. Her findings were very interesting. It showed he had a leaky gut, so food particles leak into his blood stream causing him to be fidgety. A few other things she mentioned as well, I was with her for 2hrs so we had a very long chat and discussion about a plan.

We currently have him on Probiotic, Blackmores P.P.M.P and also apple cider vinegar. We are only a week into taking these supplements.

I purchased him a marble maze that keeps his hands busy during 'sit down time' and help him focus on the teacher.

He is also booked in to see and OT in a couple of weeks. We have him on a Care Plan so he gets 6 consults rebateable from Medicare. When I talked to the OT on the phone, I got a great feeling about her and approach.

See how we go.

I highly recommend reading "Gut and Psychology Syndrome". It will help explain the leaky gut for you and how to fix it :D

We have been seeing an OT who has been great with tips. She has tested him also and does not believe he is ADHD and a little on the Auditory spectrum, so I am relieved we didn't go down the Ritalin path for our DS2 and investigated further.

He is a fidgeter and the Naturopathy has been helping immensely.

I have come back here specifically to tell you about a product the OT suggested. She sees kids with ADHD with parents that will not medicate. The product is calming clothing for kids. A range of Tshirst and singlets and tops. She had one child in particular who she said is clearly ADHD, the parents bought the clothing and are amazed at the change. The words from the Mum was that the Teachers are now actually smiling at her at school pick and asked her if she had started Ritalin.

It may compliment the Ritalin if you have your DS's or DD's on the medication.