Could Her Symptoms Be Normal Kid Stuff and Not ADHD?
Of course. But, if she’s showing several signs of inattention and they impact her life, it’s likely more than that. Although she may get better at masking or hiding her symptoms, she won’t grow out of them.

Why Should I Screen My  Daughter for ADHD? Screening tools are a free and easy way to determine if your daughter is showing signs of ADHD. You can easily see if your daughter is struggling in multiple areas to guide your next steps in seeking answers.

Why Does My Daughter Need a Professional ADHD Diagnosis? Girls with ADHD need a professional diagnosis to get the support they need. It is the first step to understanding her behavior, improving communication, and helping her thrive.

ADHD Seems Like a Trend, How Do I Know She Really Has ADHD? There has been a dramatic increase in cases, but it’s due to new information about ADHD. For a long time, ADHD was almost exclusively diagnosed in boys, and hyperactivity was the main basis for referral and diagnosis. Inattention was often missed. Also, autism was an automatic exclusion from an ADHD diagnosis until 2013, and we now know ADHD and autism often occur together.

Won’t a Diagnosis Stigmatize Her? On the contrary, an ADHD diagnosis may help avoid that. Diagnosed or not, your daughter is going to show symptoms and struggle with certain things. She may get labeled as lazy or argumentative. Diagnosis allows her to understand her struggles and she can get the tools and support that will help her succeed. Without a diagnosis, she’s at a distinct disadvantage.

What About Medication? Stimulants are most often used to treat ADHD, and they are generally considered very safe and widely recommended. Medication is the number one most effective treatment for ADHD. But it can take some time to determine the most effective medication and dosage. So, partner with your daughter’s doctor and figure out what will work best for her. It’s important not to avoid screening your daughter for an ADHD diagnosis because you’re afraid.

“A few dozen studies reveal that kids with ADHD who take prescription stimulants actually have brains that look MORE normal than those with ADHD who avoid these medications. This flips the worry about brain damage on its head – we may be relegating some kids to lifelong problems from ADHD by not treating them with stimulants when they are young.”  ~ Dr. John Kruse, psychiatrist