While a formal ADHD diagnosis is not required to reap the many benefits of ADHD tutoring, it can be validating and even transformative to seek one. An online ADHD test is a good starting place—if the signs are there, it might be worth taking the next step. We’ll help you explore what to do if your child has symptoms of ADHD, including how to get an ADHD diagnosis, how to integrate the diagnosis into your child’s home and school life, and what to watch out for along the way.
How to Get an ADHD Diagnosis in BC
To pursue an ADHD diagnosis in BC, start by connecting with your family doctor, nurse practitioner, or pediatrician. If you don’t currently have a family doctor, you can apply for one via the Health Connect Registry.
Your family doctor, nurse practitioner, or pediatrician will discuss with you the next steps. Some family doctors offer ADHD assessments directly and can diagnose you the same day as your appointment. Others may refer you to a pediatrician or psychiatrist for assessment. These assessments are typically covered by MSP.
ADHD assessments through public health care sometimes have lengthy waitlists. If you would like a faster assessment, you can contact a registered psychologist to receive a diagnosis. However, psychologists are not covered by MSP and often charge high fees for their services.
How Do I Help My Child with Symptoms of ADHD?
There are many ways to address the symptoms of ADHD. The most popular treatment involves medication, usually in the form of a stimulant such as Ritalin or Adderall. ADHD medication requires a prescription, which requires a diagnosis.
If your child is not diagnosed or you would rather avoid medication, you may want to try clinical counselling. The goal of counselling is not to “cure” ADHD but rather to support children by equipping them with self-knowledge and good habits to make managing the symptoms of ADHD easier. A counsellor can also help your child let go of the label of the “difficult student” that is often wrongfully ascribed to those with ADHD.
In a similar way, children with ADHD can benefit from working alongside a social worker or occupational therapist. These professionals assist with planning, organization, and other executive functioning tasks that symptoms of ADHD make difficult. They often offer convenient in-home and at-school services and can also attend important doctor’s visits to help with advocacy.
Even without any outside help, you as a parent can make a huge difference in the way your child manages their symptoms of ADHD. The educational series Rolling with ADHD, offered by the Kelty Mental Health Centre of BC Children’s Hospital, outfits parents with valuable information and practical strategies developed by ADHD specialists—we highly recommend checking it out!
A 2018 study suggests that “ADHD-related behavior was linked to . . . overall screen time . . . which activates dopamine and the reward pathways.” This means that, even if your child is not diagnosed with ADHD, their screen time habits can produce ADHD-like symptoms in them. Check out our screen time rules to help regulate your child’s screen time!
Symptoms of ADHD in the Classroom
The one major benefit of receiving an ADHD diagnosis is knowing what you’re up against. Think of a boss battle in a video game: if you know the boss is only susceptible to magic attacks, you can put your sword away and save yourself the headache of swinging it a thousand times. It’s the same with ADHD—knowledge of it helps your child and everyone on their team make appropriate adjustments.
This is particularly important in the classroom. Once you’ve gotten an ADHD diagnosis, you should contact your child’s school and schedule an individualized education plan (IEP) meeting. The purpose of an IEP meeting is to identify the areas in which a student needs specialized help and to formulate goals for the student to meet throughout the school year.
An IEP can qualify a student with ADHD for accommodations such as extra time for taking tests and more lenient due dates. This can help level the playing field and alleviate much of the academic stress associated with symptoms of ADHD.
At Tutoring…With A Twist*, we’re happy to collaborate with you and get involved in the IEP process. We frequently liaise with and work alongside school staff to make sure that your child receives the educational experience they deserve. Contact us to find out more!
Potential Issues with ADHD Diagnoses
While family doctors are technically qualified to diagnose ADHD, it is worth consulting a mental health professional such as a psychiatrist or psychologist for a second opinion. ADHD is commonly misdiagnosed, and it’s often comorbid with other disorders easily missed by physicians. A full psychological examination improves the likelihood of an accurate diagnosis.
This is especially pertinent if medication is being chosen as a treatment method. ADHD medication may be contraindicated by the presence of other disorders, hindering rather than helping your child.
Medication is the most common treatment for ADHD, but it’s not intended to be relied upon as the only treatment. Working in concert with counsellors, therapists, and tutors helps ensure lasting behavioural adjustments and the resilience to manage ADHD in day-to-day life.
If your child’s teacher recommends testing your child for ADHD, be curious! Classrooms typically operate with a heavy reliance on the read/write learning style. If your child’s brain lights up with a different learning style, their reaction to the read/write style might look like ADHD. Fidgeting, difficulty focusing, and other distracted behaviours can be symptoms of a learning style mismatch. We recommend connecting with your child’s teacher to see if a learning styles-focused approach can be accommodated—it might make all the difference!
ADHD-like behaviour can also be the result of boredom in the classroom. Boredom has many triggers, and while it can sometimes be explained by ADHD, there is often far more at play. Before you seek a diagnosis, ask yourself: why is my child bored at school?
Tutoring for Children with Symptoms of ADHD
Our patented twisted system of success affirms that all children deserve specialized education, regardless of their diagnoses. Whether your child has ADHD, is awaiting a diagnosis, or simply wants another person on their team, we’ll set them up with a tutor perfectly suited to their unique needs.
We guarantee success beyond the classroom, focusing on building transferable life skills such as organization and commitment management. This ensures that students, especially those with symptoms of ADHD, can develop all the tools they need to go out and pursue their goals.
If you’d like to learn more about what the twist has to offer, we’d love to hear from you. We’re excited to get started on this journey with you!
For more educational content, head over to our YouTube channel!
*Services provided by With a Twist Education Ltd.