Many parents have been waiting for some kind of breakthrough in diagnosis since ADD is one of the most difficult and subjective disorders to detect. Experts at the National Institutes of Public Health confirm there is no standard way to diagnose the disorder, which many say is just an overused label for difficult kids. Experts advise an extensive evaluation that includes interviews with teachers and significant adults in a child's life. That evaluation should include a complete physical, emotional and genetic history as well as a specific battery of tests. The main thing is to rule out other causes for the behavior before settling on the ADD diagnosis.
Teachers are often the first to confirm a parents suspicion but complete evaluation is crucial.
Many times without evaluation misdiagnosis results and kids with learning disabilities or other problems are improperly treated failing to get the help they need. The most common medications used to treat attention deficit disorder are stimulants which increase activity in areas of the brain that are underactive in children with the disorder. Doctors should be alerted to heart rhythm problems and family history of sudden death before prescribing Ritalin. Side effects of medications used to treat attention deficit disorder include weight loss, decreased appetite, slower growth, trouble falling asleep. Many doctors believe the benefits of the medication outweigh the side effects which can often be controlled by lowering the dosage.