When your child has ADHD, it's hard to keep life in perspective. These tips may help.
- Trust your instincts. Many parents fear any sort of labeling of children of special needs without considering the benefits of a proper diagnosis.
- Don't let the public debate about medicating children for problem behaviors scare you from taking action. Making informed decisions based on proper diagnosis and treatment options for kids' learning disabilities is in everyone's interests.
- Seek the best expert advice, including a second opinion. Your pediatrician can be an excellent source of information about learning disabilities strategies. Check with your insurance company about coverage for private testing.
- Take the advice of school-based professionals in the proper context. While school systems usually offer free testing services, they often are constrained by regulations seeking to limit the number of children who qualify for special programs due to the high cost of these programs. Ask about the school system's standards for intervention and how they relate to clinically established standards that define ADHD (or other conditions) in children.
- Pick your anchor. Consult frequently with the team of experts helping you, but decide who serves as the anchor and rely most heavily upon him or her to help you sort through options.
- Adopt a tough shell. Ignore the people who know what they would do in your situation. They aren't there, nor can they truly understand the specifics of your child's case.
- Be patient. The diagnostic and treatment process take a lot of time. Steps in the process often can get confusing and out of order. Just when one problem is solved, a new one appears. Take one day at a time, and enjoy your child.