My Son Was Diagnosed With ADHD in a 20 Minute Visit With the Doctor, Should I Get a 2nd Opinion?
Question by Amy: My son was diagnosed with ADHD in a 20 minute visit with the doctor, should I get a 2nd opinion?
My son is 6 and will be starting 1st grade in a couple of weeks. Throughout his childhood he has been through alot of daycares and classrooms in Kindergarten. He has terrible behavior sometimes in school that causes a disruption in class and therefore he is sent out. At the end of the school year the principal decided to remove him from the Kindergarten class and allow him to go with various assistants to reading one on one in the library, help out with P.E., and participate in activities in the 1st grade classroom. He did this for about a month and then school ended with no complaints during this one month “program”. I am concerned for him because I want him to learn in a normal classroom setting. I know he is smart, maybe even smart enough to be gifted.. but I have to wait to have him tested. The school hinted towards getting him tested for ADHD and that I did, but of course he was given that diagnosis in our 20 minute visit with the Dr. The doctor only asked him a few questions, and said that since my son liked games.. that was a key sign of ADHD because kids with ADHD like to engage in activities they can focus on. I thought this was crap, a lot of kids like games. He handed me a paper with a list of symptoms of ADHD and I only could tell him that this is what the school describes him doing, but I don’t really see it. I am putting off the idea of medicine until he starts 1st grade to see how he does in school.. but I really want to find out what the underlying problem is causing these ADHD “symptoms”. He seems very stressed, bothered by something… Should I get a second opinion? The couselor that was recommended for us lives clear across town and is not always available.. so I am skeptical he will get the attention he needs as far as the couseling.
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