[Williams]

Yes of course it is a real condition, many people on here are ignorant and shallow and accept the talking points w/o having any real knowledge. maybe ADHD is overdiagnosed and over medicated but it is very real for many many people.

[SoftballMominVA]

When we first looked into "what was wrong with this kid" we went to our local physician who gave us a checklist to rate her symptoms. (She wasn't in school at the time; we were homeschooling.) I wasn't happy with what I saw as a 'quick and dirty' diagnosis, so we ended up having her evaluated by the Kluge center at UVA. After an extensive work up by a physician, psychiatrist, an counselor and an educational diagnostician, we were told that she was not only ADHD, but SEVERELY ADHD. They recommended counseling, behavior modification and medication. So, when I hear that people say that their local doctor diagnosed ADHD, yes I do think that there is a chance of over-diagnosis.

We ended up putting her in our local public school for many complicated reasons (one of which was her sister who at a very young age showed evidence of brilliance and I was honestly too afraid to teach her and possibly screw her up)

The schools have worked with us at times and not at others. She bonded with a few teachers who are, in my opinion, saints here on earth. There were a couple that were rotten. She's going to college this fall at a small, private school with a whole lot of support. I've never been this nervous and you can believe I'll do what I can from 4 hours away, but the time has come for her to be on her own. Tons of deep breaths and prayers--and my husband says a drink now and then won't hurt.

[luckystarmom]

Thank you for saying that. That is exactly what I was thinking.