Is it ADHD or something else?

“I know what it is like to grow up with ADHD and how important it is for parents, caregivers and patients to have access to accurate information” - Ty Pennington

ADHD is a diagnosis that is multi-layered. Like many learning differences, it will present in different ways in different people. 

However, did you know that ADHD often co-occurs with other conditions? 

We were absolutely thrilled to have two of the professionals from The Childhood Collective join us on SYT Learn for a live call on “Is it just ADHD or something more?”. Lori Long, a Psychologist, and Katie Severson, an SLP shared a wealth of information. 

While most people call it ADHD, its full name is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a ‘neurodevelopmental disorder’ that affects between 2-6% of the population. 

There are three subtypes of ADHD - inattentive, hyperactive or combined type - and some of the common symptoms of ADHD include weak impulse control, lack of focus, inattention, poor time management, inability to concentrate, excessive physical movement and disorganization. Having a comprehensive evaluation to diagnose ADHD is very important (more to come on that!) as many of the diagnoses that occur with ADHD can mimic the symptoms of ADHD. The statistics show that up to 80% of children with ADHD have another co-occurring condition. 

So what sort of conditions might we see? Some of the common co-occurring conditions of ADHD include:

1. Specific Learning Disorders (such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia): Around 50% of children with ADHD will also have a Specific Learning Disorder. Learning disorders look like ADHD because children may get confused and not know what to do when the learning demands are high. This can present as inattention, distractibility, frustration and defiance.  

2. Speech and Language Delays: Around ⅔ of children with ADHD have a co-occurring speech or language disorder. Speech and Language Delays can look like ADHD due to similar struggles with executive functions and various speech/language components such as narrative language, complicated directions and social language). 

3. Autism Spectrum Disorders: Around 15% of children with ADHD will also have a diagnosis of ASD. Autism may look like ADHD with similar traits such as not participating in groups, wandering around the classroom, being in their own world, being inattentive, and repetitive behaviours. 

4. Anxiety & Depression: Around 33% of children with ADHD will also have an anxiety diagnosis; 10-30% of children with ADHD will have a separate mood disorder like depression. Anxiety or depression can look like ADHD because anxiety and depression can cause difficulty concentrating, restlessness can look like hyperactivity, and work may not get completed due to low levels of motivation. 

It was SO insightful to learn the statistics from Katie and Lori and to see the overlapping of conditions. So with so much overlap, how do you tease out what is “just ADHD” and what is ADHD with another condition? 

Many children go to a pediatrician to get a diagnosis of ADHD. This consists of an interview with the parents and then checklists for the parents and teachers. If you go this route, you are receiving a brief evaluation that is more focused on a “symptom count” for diagnosis. 

If on the other hand, you see a psychologist you will get a more comprehensive evaluation looking at many different aspects of the child’s life and learning, which may also include other professionals such as a Speech-Language Pathologist or an Occupational Therapist. It is a much more thorough process that should provide greater accuracy in diagnosis. 

So why is it so important to have an accurate diagnosis? 

• Your child’s diagnosis can have a significant impact on what sort of supports and treatments that they might receive. 

• You may receive additional supports or access to different specialists with different or additional diagnoses. 

• Understanding all of the intricacies of your child will help to increase understanding of their learning and needs.

• Greater self-understanding of their profile will set your child up for future success 

So much to take in, right? Well, there were even more tips and insight goodness on the live call. 

We are excited to share this masterclass with you here (for a small donation).