Patient's question:
Half-year-old problem description: My child is 7 and a half years old, with poor language expression skills and difficulty communicating with strangers. It is hard for him to concentrate, and he often makes small movements in class. Sometimes he even walks around during class. His scores on the ADHD scale are all above 15. At a medical university, an autism assessment was conducted, and it was concluded that he is not autistic but rather intellectually disabled. However, my child learns to sing, draw, and recite Tang poems very quickly. Could he have ADHD?Doctor's answer:
Normal children, especially school-aged children, tend to be more curious due to their underdeveloped nervous systems, leading to more active movements and their thoughts and actions being easily influenced by new things. When they first start school, they may also struggle to adapt to school rules and classroom discipline, especially those who haven't attended kindergarten. However, this is not the same as ADHD.ADHD, also known as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Minimal Brain Dysfunction, is a group of conditions that may be related to genetic factors, various adverse factors during pregnancy and childbirth (such as poor parental personality or divorce), lead poisoning, and other biological, psychological, and social factors. It is a syndrome caused by the synergistic effect of multiple factors. Therefore, it is not advisable to easily diagnose a child with ADHD just because they are active or have difficulty concentrating.
If your child exhibits the following clinical symptoms for more than 6 months, it is recommended that you take them to the hospital for a consultation:
1. Excessive movement—often showing increased activity during infancy, constantly moving from the moment they wake up until they fall asleep, and becoming even more pronounced after starting school. They find it difficult to stay calm in quiet settings, tend to interrupt or be noisy, and struggle to follow public order and discipline.
2. Difficulty concentrating—easily distracted by minor external stimuli.
3. Easily excitable and impulsive—requirements must be met, or they may exhibit emotional reactions.
4. Poor academic performance.
5. Clumsy movements, particularly poor fine motor skills.
If a child meets the above criteria and the symptoms persist for more than 6 months, they can be diagnosed with ADHD. Based on your description, it is likely that this is not ADHD.