January 14, 2009

Conner’s Rating Scale – A Tool for Diagnosing ADHD

As more and more people have become aware of the occurrence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the incorrect diagnosis of the dysfunction has, unfortunately, become commonplace. One of the tricky things about ADHD is that all people, at one time or another, display some of the symptoms of the condition, and this is particularly true of children. It is important to understand that a correct diagnosis of ADHD can only be arrived at after measuring certain criterion, using certain tools. We will take a look at one of these tools and the criteria measured with it in this article.

Conner’s Rating Scale

This tool is used by parents, teachers, and also by the adolescent in order to report on criteria that he or she feels may be present. It has been designed specifically for ADHD testing, and is used in the first criterion for diagnosing ADHD.

The first criterion of correctly identifying the ADHD dysfunction states that in order to properly be diagnosed, the subject must have had six or more or the following symptoms evident for at least six month prior to the test. In addition, these symptoms must have played a disruptive and inappropriate role for that age level. The symptoms include:

Excessive talking
Blurting out at inappropriate times
Trouble getting activities organized
Frequent losing of objects needed for tasks or activities
A lack of focus on tasks
Careless mistakes or a lack of close attention to details
Failure to complete tasks and to follow instructions
Dislikes prolonged mental effort
Easily distracted
Trouble awaiting a turn
Interrupts
Fidgeting
Frequently “on the go”

As you can see from this list, many of the criteria used to diagnose ADHD are also a part of the natural development of any child. That is why it is so important to measure the child’s symptoms over a period of time, using the correct tools, such as Conner’s rating system.

Although the initial evaluation needs to be done at a personal level, no diagnosis of ADHD is correct without the support of a psychiatrist. Again, it is imperative to note that ADHD follows very strict parameters; misdiagnosing a child could result in irreversible damage.


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What is attention deficit disorder?

This is a condition that is normally first diagnosed as a young child, but it can also be overlooked until adulthood. There are times when it can be mistaken that a child has attention deficit disorder when they go through moments of being hyper and cooperative, but this is normal. It is normal for children to have a lot of energy and they tend to get excited over things, especially if they have had a lot of sugar. For children who actually do have attention deficit disorder, they are more or less consistently hyper, uncooperative, impulsive and have trouble focusing. Children who have untreated attention deficit disorder can often have difficulty in school because they are not able to focus on what they are doing and learn. It is recommended that a parent who believes their child might be suffering from attention deficit disorder seek out professional advice and help.

If unsure whether the child has attention deficit disorder a parent can always consult and online therapist or a telephone counselor. It helps to learn more about the disorder before drawing any premature conclusions and the people best to learn from are the professionals who deal with it in their job. Of course, the internet can only help so much. While it might help to talk to someone and get some preliminary advice and suggestions, the therapist or counselor that the parent has contacted will probably recommend that they bring their child in to see a therapist in person. Seeing the child in person and how they act can help the professional determine whether or not the child is just a little more active, or if they are in fact suffering from attention deficit disorder. There are occasionally younger children who have trouble concentrating or calming down as a result of their life style and their family’s life style. If that is the case, then the professional can work with the parents to help resolve the situation. Children who are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder by a professional can usually get help from their online therapy. The therapist might decide that a temporary medicinal treatment might help the child to calm down enough to be able to function properly in school and at home without causing a disruption for anyone else. This medication will help to calm down the child, and hopefully after a period of time the child will calm down naturally. Then they can eventually be taken off the medication. While the child is on medication, the therapist will sometimes work with the parents and the child to promote more self control in the child, as well as possibly make changes in the expectations the parents have for the child at home.

Attention deficit disorder is still not overly understood. The exact causes are speculated about, but research is still being done. Through online counseling, therapists will work with the parents and their child to bring about changes in the home life at home, as well as help monitor any medications that their child might be on.


Jennifer Baxt is the owner of CompleteCounselingSolutions.com which offers a variety of online counseling services. If you would like to know more about Jennifer or any of our online therapists, visit our website.

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Dealing With Intense Back Pain

If you suffer from lower back pain, you should know that you are certainly not alone. Millions of people around the world suffer from hip and lower back pain, and the biggest dilemma is that most people do not consider it as being an issue and do not get appropriate treatment.

Without proper treatment, your lower back pain will most likely just end up getting more serious and problematic, and so if you are ever suffering from lower or any other type of back pain, you are going to need to make sure that you get in to see your doctor as soon as possible and start on the right path of treatment.

Determining Your Back Pain Problem

Lower back pain can be caused by a number of different things and it is important for you to determine what kind of back problem you have before going through with any type of treatment. Before a doctor will even be able to begin considering what sort of treatment to give you for your back pain, they will need to do some tests to determine what is causing your pain.

They will most likely do a few x-rays which will be useful in pinpointing broken bones or other skeletal defects. They will also probably do some blood and urine tests which will make sure that the pain is not due to an infection or other systemic type of problem.

Treatment

Once your doctor has been able to determine what your lower back pain is caused by, they will be able to move on and help you find the right treatment. Because back pain stems from a variety of causes, treatment goals are really pain relief and restored movement.

If your lower back pain is so severe that it is keeping you from your normal daily activities, obviously it is very problematic and you are most likely going to need to start on serious treatment right away. Your doctor will probably suggest you start on some medication, at least for a little while until you have your pain under control.

You are going to need to work together as a team with your doctor to make sure that you have the best treatment plan to follow, and to ensure that you are going to have the most success in finding relief of your pain. Back pain can be very serious, and can also be a warning sign of a more serious health condition, so make sure you get in to see your doctor right away if you ever experience any pain.


Back Pain is something you don’t have to live with. Visit my Lower Back Pain resource to get the life changing information you need.

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