Symptoms must be at a level of impairment, meaning these symptoms are impairing their daily functioning, and they must be observed in two different settings before the age of 12 for a diagnosis to occur.
The most important thing to note is that the medical professional you choose must be knowledgeable about ADHD.
The assessment and diagnosis of ADHD by a medical professional is generally covered by your provincial health care plan, however, always ask if any additional fees will be charged.
The potential diagnosis of ADHD should include;
Psychologists may assess and diagnose ADHD, but they cannot prescribe medication. Psychologists are not covered by provincial health care plans, but may be partially covered by private health coverage. Speak to the psychologist prior to contacting your private insurance provider.
Children who are struggling academically may seek a psychoeducational assessment to assess whether any coexisting learning disabilities (LDs) may exist along with ADHD. A complete assessment of a child’s learning strengths and needs is essential for a student who continues to be impaired at school. Psycho-educational assessments cost approximately $2,000-$4,000
Important Things to Know About the Health Care Professional that you choose:
For more information about ADHD assessments please contact our Resource Navigator at info@caddac.ca
ADHD should be treated using a “multimodal approach”. Simply put, this means using more than one type of treatment. Examples of ADHD treatments are listed below
Educating parents, individuals, and any other adults who routinely interact with the child about ADHD is the first and most important component of an ADHD treatment plan. Studies have shown that providing education on ADHD greatly increases the chance that treatment will continue long term..
For more information on CADDAC programs please visit the following pages
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Children with ADHD may struggle to keep up with classroom demands, classroom accommodations may help improve academic outcomes
For a detailed list of possible classroom accommodations please refer to the ADHD in education section
Individuals with ADHD learn differently than their neurotypical counterparts and therefore it can be beneficial to hire an ADHD tutor to help your child if they are struggling academically.
For a list of ADHD tutors please refer to our Resource map
ADHD coaching addresses the academic, vocational, emotional, and interpersonal life difficulties that are a result of the core ADHD symptoms and tries to help individuals find a way to overcome these challenges.
To see a list of ADHD coaches in Canada please refer to our Resource map
To find out more information about CADDAC’s ADHD coaching programs please refer to our Coaching programs
Research is finding that getting regular exercise can improve cognitive functioning and may improve ADHD symptom. Exercise produces several hormones that can benefit brain functioning and help improve focus.
http://add.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/ratey.htm
http://www.everydayhealth.com/add-adhd/can-you-exercise-away-adhd-symptoms.aspx
Mindfulness can assist with better awareness of attention, manage stress, be less reactive to impulsive thoughts and be less judgmental of ADHD symptoms.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201206/adhd-mindfulness-interview-lidia-zylowska-md
Sleep plays a major role in our health and development. For example, sleep is important for learning, attention, and memory, academic achievement, and even physical growth1, 2. As such, it is important for children to get age-appropriate quality and quantity of sleep! According to the National Sleep Foundation, school aged children (6-13 years old) should receive between 9 and 11 hours of sleep each night3. Children who sleep less or who have poor quality sleep (e.g., up and down throughout the night) will not be able to perform their best during the day, especially in school.
For a comprehensive article reviewing the evidence of Cognitive Training and brain training strategies called Cognitive Training and ADHD: Sizing up the Evidence, please refer to the document below.
Access a comprehensive article reviewing the evidence on Cognitive Training (brain training games) and brain training strategies
Download PDFIt not usually recommended that children under the age of 6yr take ADHD medication, however in certain instances it may be required. Please speak with a knowledgeable ADHD physician to see if ADHD medication is right for your child.
In uncomplicated cases of ADHD, medication management is fairly straight forward and effective with minimal side effects. ADHD medication has been around for more than fifty years and there are thousands of published research papers on their safety and efficacy. There are two types of medications used to manage ADHD medication. For more information on medication please speak with a medical professional
Please refer to the charts below for information on specific medications
Students with ADHD may struggle with working memory, processing speed, organization, time management, and attention; all of which impact learning. Therefore, students may require classroom accommodations to help with their academic challenges. Below is a list of classroom accommodations that can be used if your child is struggling to keep up with grade level demands.
Accommodations come in three distinct categories; instructional, environmental, and assessment. The following lists are examples of interventions that may impact the success of the ADHD student.
For a list of possible classroom interventions for students with ADHD please download document
Download PDFThis is a tool to help understand ADHD symptoms tied to potential individual classroom and learning impairments. The chart also lists appropriate accommodations for can be used for each specific impairment. Possible accommodations included in this chart are based on expert consensus opinion. There is no perfect accommodation for a given difficulty. Accommodations must be individualized.
For a list of classroom accommodations for elementary school children please download this document
Download PDFAlso known as Special Education Plan (SEP), Individualized Program Plan (IPP), Student Support Plan SSP, Individual Support Services Plan (ISSP) depending on the province or territory
Accommodations and modifications listed in the IEP are legal rights of the child.
The IEP must consider recommendations made by the committee who identifies the child.
The IEP is a flexible, working document, which should be adjusted and improved with each reporting period
On December 19th of 2011 the Ontario Ministry of Education released a memorandum to Directors of Education entitled Categories of Exceptionality clarifying that students with ADHD and no other diagnosis have a right to be identified as exceptional students if they present with learning needs
Download PDFThe role of an advocate may be vital at some point in our life to obtain and maintain the necessary changes and opportunities for our children and ourselves. Learn the to spot when your child is struggling in school and how to become an effective advocate.
Download PDFThis is a tool to help understand ADHD symptoms tied to potential individual classroom and learning impairments. The chart also lists appropriate accommodations for can be used for each specific impairment. The possible accommodations included in this chart are based on expert consensus opinion. There is no perfect accommodation for a given difficulty. Accommodations must be individualized.
For a list of classroom accommodations for high school students please download this document
Download PDF