Teachers may suggest your child has ADHD, but we have given the responsibility of diagnosis of attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder to a doctor. Only after a child is diagnosed by a doctor as having ADHD can drugs be prescribed. A psychologist, teacher or druggist cannot obtain drugs for your child.

Dr. Rose Szerze, an Alberta Pediatrician, says about five percent of all school age children have ADHD. Her concern is to be careful in diagnosing and thus labeling a child as having ADHD. This should not be done prematurely, she says. Szerze recommends a pediatrician’s and a psychologist’s evaluation before any treatment is initiated but says family physicians are diagnosing and treating ADHD.

Szerze says a detailed history and complete physical examination with an extensive neurological examination help to determine the diagnosis. She says she frequently includes allergy testing even though professional literature denies the similarity of systems. In her assessment as a pediatrician, Szerze looks for other reasons for behavioural problems: discipline, emotional issues, allergies, food sensitivities, and family disruption before attaching a label to a child.

“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome presents some of the same behavioural changes as ADHD,” says Szerze. Some parents request referrals to specialized units when this label is suggested by teachers, but she says this is unlikely to occur unless there is an accompanying problem such as fetal alcohol syndrome, epilepsy, or cerebral palsy. Although she believes in a team approach to management of this problem, she is not involved in case conferences – she says she is too busy. When faced with this suspected diagnosis, she sets up an hour-and-a-half appointment for the history and examination and continues this practice with all follow-ups. Szerze does not apply this diagnosis to pre-schoolers since their behaviour patterns are still being learned. She believes counselling and behaviour management are keys to success since “the medicines are not miracle drugs. Children need to learn life skills of how to get along with others and how to manage feelings.”