9 1/2 yr old daughter--should I test for sleep apnea/ADD, both?

My 9 1/2 yr old daughter is a very intelligent, extremely social child. However, she is having a terrible time paying attention and following the rules in school. She is figedty; sings, hums or taps to herself all the time--and doesn't seem to know she's doing it as she will start again only a minute or so after being asked to stop. She doesn't want to read directions and will spend hours on homework that should take less than one. She ahs no ability to focus on anything except the television for any amount of time. She is argumentative, defiant, generally more tempermental, and apathetic to the fact her grades are dropping like rocks (where she was proud of her grades before). She has to be *made* to do her chores and be supervized the whole time. It's hard to pinpoint all the areas where her behavior has changed in the last several months, but it has and I had decided to have her tested for ADD. Then my mother saw the story on 48 Hours and said watching the children on this show was just like seeing my daughter.

Should I approach our pediatrician about sleep studies, ADD testing, etc? Where can I find more information on the symptoms? I can tell you that she snores frequently and does seem to toss and turn. Her behavior tends to be different on weekends when she's able to sleep later, but putting her to bed earlier during the week isn't effective as she can't fall asleep any earlier.

Your thoughts are welcome. Thank you for any light you can shed on our frustration.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Yes, she should definitely be evaluated. Some children with sleep apnea display symptoms which are very much those of ADHD. If it were not for her snoring, I wouldn't recommend you investigate that possibility. However, it could be that she needs to have her adenoids (adenoids) removed. As usual with such revelations, many people are jumping on board the sleep apnea bandwagon, if you will, when the symptoms don't warrant it. However, in your daughter's instance it makes sense. Concurrently, you can have the ADHD possibility evaluated also.