Be very leery and highly skeptical of any school or doctor wanting to push Ritalin before an Audiologist and Allergy Specialist is seen. The Audiologist or a Speech Pathologist can test for and diagnose CAPD a Shrink can not and most never consider this as a cause. Giving a CAPD kid Ritalin or ADD ADHD meds can do far more harm. Their sensory system is already overtaxed.
Watch the kids. Do some basic detective work and keep a log or notes on when behavior changes. Be especially watchful where they have just engaged in sensory processing extensive activities such as video games, TV, etc.
Observe the child’s reactions and pay very close attention to if they are actually processing what you say. Example TV is on but kid isn't watching it. You say "hey Billy please take out the trash". The child just sits there as if he didn't hear you or says Huh? You repeat yourself and about mid sentence Billy says "do what" as if he just heard you. The third time you've had enough and say slowly "Billy take out" and then it's like a switch was turned on Billy understands. This is not ADD ADHD this is likely CAPD. Billy began processing your first attempts about the middle of your second attempt. The more background distractions the more attempts it takes to communicate.
Watch how they read. The kid may honest to goodness be only to read a few minutes. Watch for more clues such as reversing order of words, skipping words, skipping an entire sentence or paragraph and in some causes Dyslexic symptoms. Again this is not ADD ADHD.
A teacher is giving a lesson and says OK class take notes. Billy will either have no notes and will have understood half the instructions or had very few notes and can't tell you what the teacher said. Get Billy a voice recorder.
Bily needs to be placed facing the teacher and the teacher needs to face the class when talking not the blackboard or walking around the room. Kids like Billy usually read lips. They may process lip reading faster.
Next what else to look for? Watch the kids activities outdoors. Dad's you need understand what I am about to say. If Billy is lets say playing sandlot baseball and can not hit the ball despite your repeated attempts see if this happens. He swings way too early, way too late, or ducks from the ball as if afraid of it. That points to eye and muscle coordination often related to CAPD. Get him into Occupational Therapy for help. It is a good investment money wise in this case. Look at his shoes? Does he break the shoes over to the side? That again points to balance and function of the Inner Ear where most CAPD symptoms originate from. That one will require a visit to a foot doctor for some prescription insoles likely.
How did I learn all this? My own life experiences as a misdiagnosed ADD ADHD child who had multiple sensory processing issues and I still have them today only far worse. My parents got me help for what help was out there in the late 1960’s early 70’s.
ADD ADHD was not rampant when I was a kid. I was one of the few in my school they thought had it. I don’t and I never did. After my sensory processing system deteriorated to the point of disability when I was about 35 years old did I then seek out answers. It has taken me over 18 years to do so. Much of my information comes from looking in Vestibular Disorder venues on the web. Last but not least to adults reading this I give you this bit of information you will never hear in a Shrinks office. Vestibular {INNER EAR} and sensory processing dysfunction is likely the leading cause of adulthood Panic or Anxiety Disorder.
Mothers know how a baby with an ear infection acts. They are not happy campers. Older General Practiconers knew an Inner Ear Infection in adults. How often do you hear of adults having an Inner Ear infection today? Did they just go away? No I doubt that. Doctors have lost focus as to physical ailments cause and affects.
Interesting. Thank you. I would like to add that in my limited experiences with medical doctors that a medical test is often needed prior to treatment.
In the case of ADD or ADHD the claim is that a chemical imbalance in the brain is involved, yet no tests are performed to actually measure levels of substances in the brain, nor are there any recommended guidelines as to what the levels of these substances should be.
Seems to me that a doc that would quickly prescribe meds based solely on symptoms and not examining the root cause of the problem is not practicing medicine.