> My wonder is when does it to go from a kid just being a kid to a child actually affected by ADHD
That's the multi-billion dollar question. From grades K-3, my son got straight A's and was a typical "boy" in the classroom. Occasionally not the best at paying attention, but no big deal.
Fourth grade was another story. He'd come home exhausted, and cry himself into a nap nearly every day. Not coincidentally, that's what the academics shifted from pure memory, associative reasoning, and recall to tasks that also required planning and executive function. That, plus the expectations of better ability to sit still and pay attention were just too much.
We eventually paid the big $$$ for a full, two-day neuro-psych evaluation. It was eye-opening for both my wife and I. For me, it showed how differently my son's brain was working, and for my wife it shined a light on her undiagnosed ADHD.
We did resist giving our son medication, and waited until he decided that he wanted to try it (16 years). It made an amazing difference in his ability to study and stay on task, but it did come with the weight loss and a serious 4-6pm crash every day, though those effects seemed to mitigate over time.
That's the multi-billion dollar question. From grades K-3, my son got straight A's and was a typical "boy" in the classroom. Occasionally not the best at paying attention, but no big deal.
Fourth grade was another story. He'd come home exhausted, and cry himself into a nap nearly every day. Not coincidentally, that's what the academics shifted from pure memory, associative reasoning, and recall to tasks that also required planning and executive function. That, plus the expectations of better ability to sit still and pay attention were just too much.
We eventually paid the big $$$ for a full, two-day neuro-psych evaluation. It was eye-opening for both my wife and I. For me, it showed how differently my son's brain was working, and for my wife it shined a light on her undiagnosed ADHD.
We did resist giving our son medication, and waited until he decided that he wanted to try it (16 years). It made an amazing difference in his ability to study and stay on task, but it did come with the weight loss and a serious 4-6pm crash every day, though those effects seemed to mitigate over time.