hi there, we have had many foster children who have been diagnosed with this. However there is no balck and white test for ADHD. One of the signals is a child who significantly underfunctions at school despite having normal intellect and no major disabilities, this is probably why a teacher suggested this.. The best thing you prob could do is see your paediatrician, they might recommend you go see psychologist, behaviouralist or occupational therapist. However what we do to help our children is watch what they eat. We do not give them preservatives or artifical flavours, and we have notice significant changes.. however not all children are the same. The best thing that we did was read a lot of books about this, it has made the world of good knowing a bit about what this is.  goodluck.

It is much easier for a teacher to handle a child when the child is drugged up.And they do get extra funding when a child is diagnosed with that.Let me ask you....Does she sleep well?Does she play by herself?Are her grades good?If you answered yes to them it maybe that your child is too smart and challenges the teacher by asking questions.........Just some thoughts from experience.

Hi there,

Can I ask why your daughter's teacher feels she should be tested for ADD?  What is your daughter doing to make her think it's ADD?

I've had teachers tell me my child has ADHD. In Australia you fill in a questionaiare where you choose an anser from 4 groups ie A<B<D<C. I think yoiu need to be careful as I'm sure kids get put into the ADD group that don't need to. It's best to talk to a broad field of opinions aobut it.

In Australia, NSW Dept Of Ed, the schools get extra funding for kids with ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) They use the funding to get a teacher's aide for the whole class of children, not just the indiviual child. They were pushing for me to get my son diagnosed with ODD. So I went to a Paediatrician who said that, after I filled in a 5 min questionarie, that he has ODD. Well I don't accept that. Now he is at a private school and any problems I had with him have virtually vanished.

so just be careful, I believe that a lot of kids can get pushed into diagnosis. It is all a matter of management in the end.

so I do believe there are kids who genuinely have this condition, but I also believe many get ''talked into it''.

It is up to your own discretion, from info provided, and with consulation with appropriate experts, what is true for your daughter.

Please be very careful with this as far to many children are diagnosed ADD when they are not. Some teachers think a little bit of naughtiness in the class room means a child has ADD which is so very untrue. The symptoms below are great for you to check out just make sure you look for any symptoms over an extended period even documenting when different symptoms happen. I would also recommend checking everywhere you can for information about ADD. I think it is great that a true ADD child gets the help they need but unfortunately I have experienced a child who was NOT ADD but because his mother was not willing to do her job as a parent this boy suffered for a long time. I think it a great idea to watch for this but just don't be to quick to believe teachers or doctors, get second opinions and follow your instincts.

Good luck

 Lexi xxx

here are some traits that appear in a child with add,

distractable,also attention span is short,but may become intensely focused for long periods of time,also a child with add is a poor planner,disorganized(makes snap decisions).

Distorted sense of time,unaware of how long it will take to do something. they are impatient,

also a child with add doesnt convert words into concepts adeptly and vice versa,may or may not have a reading disability.also a child with add has difficulty following directions are and can also be a day dreamer they also act without considering the consquences they also lack in social graces. i hope this helps you.