ADHD Misdiagnosis Checklist

A valuable resource from the website of Dr. Mary Ann Block. We remind people that we ourselves are not medical doctors, and do not offer any medical diagnosis. People with concerns about ADD/ADHD are encouraged to seek out competent medical care capable of checking out the issues presented below before making important decisions.

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ADHD Misdiagnosis Checklist

A "Yes" answer to any of the following questions may indicate a health or learning problem that is causing ADHD-like symptoms.

Part 1

• Does your child eat a lot of sugary products, even at breakfast? Y or N
  
• Does your child drink a lot of caffeinated soft drinks? Y or N
  
• Does your child eat a lot of chocolate? Y or N
  
• Does your child wake up in the morning in a bad mood and then feels better after eating? Y or N
  
• Does your child have trouble waiting to eat? Y or N
  
• Does your child exhibit a "Jekyl and Hyde" personality where she/he is sweet one moment and then angry and hard to handle the next? Y or N
  

Part 2

• Does your child have airborne allergies? Y or N
  
• Does your child have allergies to animals such as dogs, cats, etc.? Y or N
  
• Does your child have chronic respiratory infections? Y or N
  
• Does your child complain of headaches? Y or N
  
• Does your child suddenly change from alert to sleepy even though she/he is rested? Y or N
  
• Does your child's behavior change radically when in certain stores such as grocery stores or linen stores that have fragrances? Y or N
  
• Do you or anyone in your household smoke? Y or N
  
• Do you use air fresheners, plug-ins or sprays or fragrant cleaners in your home? Y or N
  
• Do you have your carpets cleaned often? Y or N
  
• Do you use insecticide in your home or have an exterminator? Y or N
  
• Do your household cleaning products contain fragrances? Y or N
  

Part 3

• My child does not like to read. Y or N
  
• Does your child complain about how things feel, like clothing? "It feels scratchy." Y or N
  
• Does your child not listen well, but hearing tests are normal? Y or N
  
• Does your child seem disorganized but knows where things are? Y or N
  
• Does your child prefer to do projects and presentations over written reports? Y or N
  
• Does your child have difficulty remembering left from right? Y or N
  
• My child is not very coordinated or good at sports. Y or N
  
• My child has difficulty throwing a ball into an intended receptacle, such as a basketball into an intended receptacle or a paper wad into the garbage can? Y or N
  
• My child touches everything of interest. Y or N
  
• My child seems to get confused when asked to follow simple directions. Y or N
  
• My child has trouble with handwriting. Y or N
  
• My child has difficulty remembering more than one verbal request at a time. Y or N
  
• My child has difficulty understanding cause and effect - does not seem to understand simple consequences to specific actions. Y or N
  

Part 4

• Is your child a picky eater? Y or N
  
• Does your child limit his/her foods to only a few? Y or N
  
• Does your child refuse to eat fruits or vegetables? Y or N
  
• Is your child overweight? Y or N
  
• Does your child eat a lot of "fast foods"? Y or N
  
• Does your child eat a lot of processed foods such as cookies, cakes, white breat, potato chips, etc.? Y or N
  
• Does your child have difficulty sleeping or waking up in the morning feeling rested? Y or N
  
• Does your child bruise or bleed easily but your doctor does not consider it to be a medical problem? Y or N
  
• Are your child's nails cracked, brittle or discolored? Y or N
  
• Does your child take a lot of medications? Y or N
  

Part 5

• Has your child been prescribed a lot of antibiotics in the past ? Y or N
  
• Does your child eat a lot of sugar and processed carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta? Y or N
  
• Does your child eat a lot of the following foods:
  
  ______Mushrooms
  ______Dry Roasted Nuts
  ______Commercial Soups
  ______Bacon
  ______Apple Cider
  ______Barbecue Potato Chips
  ______White Flour
  ______Soy Sauce and Tofu
  ______Vinegar and all foods containing vinegar, including salad dressing, pickled vegetables, green olives, and sauerkraut
  ______Processed meats such as dried and smoked meat, sausage, hot dogs, luncheon meats
  
  

Part 6

• Does your child have allergies? Y or N
  If the answer is yes, please read the following:
  
  
  • Annals of Allergy, 1993 concluded that allergies by themselves may cause learning impairment.
    
  • Children with allergies performed less successfully, across the board, than children who did not have allergies.
    
  • These children should not have to take tests during their allergy season unless the allergies can be under control.
    
  • Allergies: WIth elimination of allergic foods, artificial colors, preservatives and caffeine, more than half exhibited improvement in behavior. Pediactrics, 1989
    

"Yes" answers in any or all of the sections are quite common in children misdiagnosed with ADHD.

A "Yes" answer in Part 1 may indicate a possible sugar level problem.
A "Yes" answer in Part 2 may indicate a sensitivity to household and everday chemicals.
A "Yes" answer in Part 3 may indicate a potential learning problem or a learning difference.
A "Yes" answer in Part 4 may indicate nutritional deficiencies.
A "Yes" answer in Part 5 may indicate a possible yeast problem.

When the underlying problems are identified and fixed, the attention and behavior problems usually resolve. No one should treat symptoms with psychiatric drugs, which carry a risk of serious side-effects, while ignoring the possible health and learning problems that may be causing the symptoms.