ty and slow psychological development h Learning disabilities such as dyslexia h Anxiety h Depression h Low thyroid h Low motivation h Lack of sufficient sleep h Poor nutrition h Boredom due to lack of challenge To diagnose AD/HD, mental health professionals ask parents and teachers to observe children and rate their behavior using specific questionnaires or checklists. These checklists rate the following behaviors, which are present in most people with AD/HD: h Distractibility h Inattention h Free flight of ideas (free associations to any other idea) h Impulsivity - Moodiness h Insatiability h Bursts of hot temper h Hyperactivity In most cases, these behaviors were noticed before the child was seven years old. Since the AD/HD person's ability to stay focused gets worse when the environment is noisy or full of distractions, teachers often are the first ones to notice when a child is having trouble paying attention. In evaluating for AD/HD, a health professional should take a comprehensive family history. Since assessment is based on the presence of these symptoms before the age of seven, particular attention needs to be paid to pre-school and early grammar school experiences. Family history should be investigated as well in regards to any other family member who may have had attention deficits. From this point teachers and parents fill out behavior checklists. Psychological tests are also given to define the scope of the problem. When a problem appears to be present a trial of medication may be given to try and relieve the major symptoms. The most prevalent of medications today is known as Ritalin.IVA, TOVA, and CPT Continuous performance tests are and important means of assessment. The major problem with these tests is that they don't take into account that the person taking the test may have Learning Disabilities, which may prove inaccurate results.Last semester I was given the pleasure of working with a very special student by t...
