 [ Symptoms ] does my child have adhd [ Disease ] does your child have trouble sitting still does he or she have trouble focusing and completing a task you may be wondering if your child has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder adhd for starters a diagnosis of adhd is based on a combination of inattentive impulsive and hyperactive behaviors that are inappropriate for the age of the child and most of the time adhd is not diagnosed until a child enters school why because virtually all preschoolers have trouble paying attention and sitting still so do not book a consultation with your child is doctor because your preschooler does not want to sit around during storytime here is what you need to know about adhd q is adhd hereditary yes interestingly add [attention deficit disorder] and adhd tends to run in families often a parent realizes he or she has the disorder when his or her child is going through the evaluation process q what signs should i be looking for in my child * hyperactivity a child will constantly fidget with his hands or body he may seem like he is always on the go he may have trouble sitting in his seat or playing quietly and he may talk incessantly * impulsivity a child will have trouble taking turns in play he may blurt out answers in the classroom or interrupt other children is activities as a result he may be rejected by his peers * inattention a child may be very disorganized and have trouble completing tasks even ones that are fun he may be forgetful and gloss over details q what is the difference between add and adhd the “h” stands for hyperactivity kids with add are not fidgety or loud and so they have fewer behavior problems in the classroom thus they often are diagnosed later — often a child will be eight or nine before add kids are identified q if i am worried about addadhd who should i turn to for help start with your child is teacher he or she can fill out a checklist that demonstrates your child is successes and challenges in a classroom setting you will also be asked to do an assessment of your child in your home setting as well the next step is to discuss the finding with your child is doctor the doctor may conduct the complete evaluation and treatment process himself or he may refer your child for additional evaluations and potentially treatment with a specialist yes my child is in 7th grade this year we have never had issues with grades or her not keeping up with assignments she is never still she talks consistently she has been having problems sleeping she will lay in bed for hours before falling asleep we have tried different things to help her settle down at night but still no improvement her grades have fallen really low her sister has adhd who is 16 years old is on medication once we started her on meds her whole life