Suspect son has ADHD...where to start with diagnosis process? Post Reply

[Wheretostart]

I strongly suspect that something is up with my son. Either ADHD or Dyslexia or maybe both (or neither). He's in year 1 at a state school and it's affecting his school work (and home life to a certain extent) so whilst I've embraced his personality so far I feel like he needs support to help him.

My question is where to start? Do I speak to teacher first or GP first or just seek out a private company? We have private health insurance although not sure if they cover this? Would still consider private even if not covered. I have read somewhere that some schools will only accept a GP diagnosis and not a private one, is this true?

Any suggestions on the process/where to start/who to see greatly appreciated.

[Pud1]

You'll need a referral for a paediatric developmental check at St George's. School or GP can do it but it's generally better to ask the school to do it as they are more familiar with your child. I would ask to meet the SENCo to discuss your concerns and see if the school have similar views. I wouldn't worry about going private as the service at St George's is very good.

[CheekychappieMum]

I agree with the advice in previous post. You should probably talk to your school's SENco first and have your child assessed by an Ed Psych who will diagnose any learning difficulties and will also state whether there is a case for obtaining an ADHD assessment. In most cases AD(H)D co exists with some form of learning difficulty eg dyslexia or some processing difficulty eg auditory (not being able to process what the teacher is saying fast enough so getting lost with it). Working Memory is also a very common issue for AD(H)D children too. Working memory is being able to retain information in our heads and manipulating it. Ie You go upstairs to fetch 3 items, remembering which 3 they are and where to find them. A lot of the time ADHD children will go upstairs and forget what they went up for (as can happen to a lot of us!). This is very obvious with mental arithmetic, they can't retain the numbers in order to make the mental calculation. All these learning difficulties impact on the child's comfort zone in the classroom and will lead to either challenging behaviour or shutting down. If he's not performing to yours or the teacher's expectation it is highly likely he has some lagging skills that with some support can make a huge difference as children under 12 all instinctively want to do their best and if they don't it's because they haven't developped the necessary skills to do so. Contrary to what so many people will tell you eg "he can do it when he wants to ..." All lagging skills can be dealt with and improved with exercises and strategies to compensate. So when you do get a diagnosis, whatever it is, I recommend you emphasise that the "label" is not enough, that what you really need is concrete strategies on how to help him at school and at home so that then you can work with the teachers to support him. Please feel free to PM me at any time. I am in a similar position to you and have gathered a wealth of information on ADHD and learning difficulties I can email you. In the meantime you will find a great list of resources and tips from this website I saw recently www.adhdkids.org.uk.

[Coralie L]

Hello, I'm currently suspecting my daughter to have ADHD. Do you recommend to consult a neuropsychologist first ?

[muddyboots]

If you do get a diagnose, the question is then what ?

Please do not underestimate the importance of diet, eliminating junk food, UPFs. Sleep, managing screen time and managing lifestyle as much as possible to work with the body and not against it.

Really can make a difference.
I have friends who tried medication and it worked but they felt their boy lost his spark and it chipped away at his personality. They become calmer but also numbed somehow.

Your private insurance should be able to help. NHS has longer waiting times I hear. I would try both and see how it goes.
Do speak to schools as a starting point.

[Ak17]

Definitely start with the SENCO and talk to him/her about your concerns. After that, if you can go private, I would. There are a number of clinics (the Effra Clinic for example) or the SENCO could probably recommend some for a private assessment.

Our family's experience with St George's was really poor. Our son was on the waiting list for an autism assessment (now suspect autism and ADHD) for over a year. When we eventually made it to an appointment at St George's, we were told it was just an initial screening with a paediatrician. They didn't have any of the assessment forms we'd previously filled out (despite it all being done electronically and our having reviewed them with a paediatric nurse). By this point, we'd already gone private and had our son diagnosed, which meant the school had put a number of interventions in place. If we'd waited on the NHS, we would have lost the entire school year. 

There were meant to be a number of follow ups, none of which happened. In fact, our 1st follow up was moved 3 times and then became a phone appointment. We eventually got another letter saying that on the day of the appointment, their phone systems were down and since she hadn't been able to reach us, we were being discharged. So I would really do your own research if you can!

[Boysmumtoo]

Muddyboots - what an awful toxic response... I often question what you are trying to achieve when posting .. If ADHD is genuine - I have two boys with it, medication can be life-changing and it doesn't numb their personality, quite the contrary - it gives them the space to be who they are. Sport and diet can do a lot to manage symptoms, yes, but they don't "fix" things either.

I have two ADHD boys who are thriving. It's been a lot of work over the last ten years though, more than people could ever appreciate. I only wish people with no experience of actually parenting a child with ADHD stopped commenting here. I don't know why muddyboots feels she / he has expertise to comment on pretty much everything...

OP - Please disregard it.. medication, if correct, is life-changing for kids and doesn't change their personality, it allows them the space to be who they are.

Yes, St George's team is amazing and yes, having two kids in senior schools (and experience of both private and state sectors), NHS diagnosis is harder to get and more respected. Noone ever questions it and noone can ever say you "bought it". Go private by no means if you need it fast but apply for the NHS diagnosis too, for long term.

Muddyboots - please bear in mind there are real children and people involved and be more mindful when commenting. You can really hurt and discourage people and give them wrong perception of what medication is and does to kids. This is not your place and I hope you realise how much damage you can cause. It sounds like you don't even have a SEND kid at all...

[Boysmumtoo]

Muddyboots - what an awful toxic response... I often question what you are trying to achieve when posting .. If ADHD is genuine - I have two boys with it, medication can be life-changing and it doesn't numb their personality, quite the contrary - it gives them the space to be who they are. Sport and diet can do a lot to manage symptoms, yes, but they don't "fix" things either.

I have two ADHD boys who are thriving. It's been a lot of work over the last ten years though, more than people could ever appreciate. I only wish people with no experience of actually parenting a child with ADHD stopped commenting here. I don't know why muddyboots feels she / he has expertise to comment on pretty much everything...

OP - Please disregard it.. medication, if correct, is life-changing for kids and doesn't change their personality, it allows them the space to be who they are.

Yes, St George's team is amazing and yes, having two kids in senior schools (and experience of both private and state sectors), NHS diagnosis is harder to get and more respected. Noone ever questions it and noone can ever say you "bought it". Go private by no means if you need it fast but apply for the NHS diagnosis too, for long term.

Muddyboots - please bear in mind there are real children and people involved and be more mindful when commenting. You can really hurt and discourage people and give them wrong perception of what medication is and does to kids. This is not your place and I hope you realise how much damage you can cause. It sounds like you don't even have a SEND kid at all...

[muddyboots]

Did it sound like it was a toxic reply ??
It was NOT.

There is early evidence of occurrence of bad microbiome, which is linked to neurological development changes which is common in adhd children. There is a pattern.
This is all early research.

There is no harm in starting with diet and reducing UPFs which sadly makes up a huge part of a lot of children’s diets.
Functional medicine shows that diet plays a huge role , something the western medicine has long ignored.

The gut brain axis is real.

What is toxic to my mind being angry at a different take on a debate from your own.

I did also offer productive advice on starting with school and insurance .

Enjoy your day, maybe reflect on your own defensive aggressive reaction.

[Freebies]

Re ADHD and other clinical diagnoses given the distress involved for parents I think it is best to disclose what your qualifications and experience is when offering specific dietary advice and so on for a complex issue, or make it clear say that it is just your point of view (rightly or wrongly).
Only saying.