Sadly there isn’t a simple test that can diagnose ADHD, but children normally show signs of having ADHD before the age of 7. In order to be diagnosed with ADHD properly, a person must show signs of at least 6 of 9 of the major symptoms for a specific type of ADHD. These behaviours must be present and a burden on everyday life for at least 6 months. Besides showing behaviours of hyperactivity-impulsivity, inattention, or both in order for a person to be diagnosed a person's symptoms must be displayed before the age of 12. They must be present in more than a single setting, such as showing signs of ADHD at home and school. The symptoms must also cause issues in everyday life, and cannot be explained by any other mental disorder. …show more content…
ADHD Treatment
After a person has been diagnosed with ADHD, there are numerous treatment options that are available. The main goal of treatment is to promote positive behaviours and to manage symptoms of ADHD.
Medication for ADHD
There are two types of ADHD medications. Stimulants are the most common and first type of ADHD medication that is prescribed, they are extremely fast-acting with a high success rate with between 70 to 80 percent of children having fewer symptoms while on these medications.
Non-Stimulants are the other type of ADHD medication that it prescribed, however, they don’t work as quickly to relieve the symptoms of ADHD as stimulants, but the effects of these can last up to 24 hours.
Therapy
A doctor may recommend that a person with ADHD gets behavioural therapy before starting any medications. Therapy is a valuable tool that can help people with ADHD by learning new behaviours to replace old inappropriate ones. Parents can also benefit from receiving behavioural management training, this can be used to manage their child's behaviour, helping them to learn new coping skills.
Children under the age of 6 normally do not start with ADHD medication, relying on behavioural therapy instead. However, children 6 and up tend to find the most benefit from a combination of medications and behavioural therapy.
Expectations
The majority of children who are diagnosed with ADHD no longer have significant symptoms by the time that they are in their mid 20’s, but you have to be realistic about things, for many people ADHD is a lifelong condition. There is no one size fits all approach for ADHD it is important that a person works closely with their doctor to manage their condition through a combination of therapy and
medication.