Response from: Douglas Cootey

It is indeed VERY confusing when you receive contradictory diagnoses. Your paternal instincts are right on the money. Five is a little young to be diagnosing AD/HD. When she enters grade school you will find her more mature and better able to communicate her troubles. I have AD/HD and I suspect my 7 year old has it, but we have not officially diagnosed her. However, I can see the signs. I won't be surprised if she is diagnosed with it.


Most important of all when dealing with AD/HD in children is helping them like themselves despite the "stupid" mistakes. My daughter came home one day with a math test and dejectedly gave it to me. It had several empty answers circled in read, but there were also wrong answers. One in particular was "1+1=0". Children make mistakes, but my daughter knew she knew the answers. She was mortified. Somehow she was distracted when taking the test and missed some and answered others completely wrong. What was stunning was that she berated herself as stupid. I had never called her stupid! It was like looking in the mirror, however. I knew what she was feeling.

"Stupid" mistakes are the careless mistakes we make when our minds are distracted at crucial moments. They come in the bucketfull with the AD/HD package. I took opportunity to teach my girl how to double check her answers, and I taught her how to laugh at the silly mistakes. Self-esteem is the first thing to go in kids with AD/HD. Behavior problems usually follow. Watch for them and keep your girl's spirits up. Help her like herself. This is the most important thing you can do for her. Much better than medicating her. Good luck!


~Douglas
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http://thesplinteredmind.blogspot.com
- Overcoming Neurological Disabilities With Lots Of Humor And Attitude