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Child Behavior (Expert Forum)
4-year-old with possible attention issues
Answered by
Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D. - Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy, Family Therapy, Crisis Intervention
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates
This forum is for questions and support regarding child behavior issues such: Child Discipline (behavior management), Normal Child Development, Parent-Child Communications, Social Development
4-year-old with possible attention issues
by Ruth57, Nov 15, 2007 09:13AM
Today I spoke with my child's Pre-K teacher. She said that my daughter has been flagged for ADHD. My daughter was 4 in mid-July, so it might be immaturity. However, she seems to be unable to sit still during group activities such as book readings and music lessons. She has intense concentration when she's interested in things, and can play for some time and follow a logical thought to broader and more interesting topics. Should I be taking her to a Child Psycholgist for an evaluation. I read through a checklist of ADD symptoms, and she doesn't seem to fit the criteria. However, the criteria seemed focused on older children with various questions about homework and the like.
Doctor's Answer
by Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D., Nov 16, 2007 07:36AM
, Nov 16, 2007 07:36AM
You are wise to note that development can be a central issue in relation to the behaviors your daughter is displaying. While it is certainly possible for a four-year-old to display ADHD, care must be taken to have the child undergo a systematic evaluation. The challenge of diagnosing ADHD in a pre-school-age child is that the several clusters (inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive) of symptoms associated with ADHD can be typical of normal pre-schoolers. So, the main issue is not so much whether a pre-schooler happens to be somehwat inattentive, overactive, or prone to impulsive behavior, but rather the degree to which those types of behaviors are occurring and whether the behaviors are an impediment to mastering the normal developmental challenges of the age. An evaluation is very sensible.
Member Comments (2)
by jdtm, Nov 16, 2007 06:45AM
Yes, I would have your child evaluated by a child psychologist. By the way, children suffering from anxiety often display ADHD and/or ADD behaviours in social settings as school but when they are in a comfortable and perceived "safe" environment, these behaviours are non-existent. In either case, both these behaviours will require further treatment and the earlier the diagnosis, the better the prognosis.
