My Child Is Struggling. Where Do I Start?

When a child is struggling, parents naturally want an answer.

ADHD?

Autism?

Anxiety?

Dyslexia?

Something else?

Instead of starting with a diagnosis, begin by describing what is actually happening.

“My child can’t focus” becomes:

“My child needs six reminders to complete a two-step task.”

“They hate school” becomes:

“Reading assignments that should take 20 minutes regularly take more than an hour.”

Specific observations help clinicians understand the problem.

Next, ask whether it occurs across settings.

Teachers may see something different from parents because school places different demands on attention, learning, behavior, language, and social functioning.

The CDC emphasizes gathering information across environments when ADHD is being considered, and psychological assessment more broadly integrates testing with history and observation.

Most importantly, remember that similar behaviors can have different causes.

A child refusing homework might have attention difficulty.

Or a learning disorder.

Or anxiety.

Or exhaustion.

Or several things at once.

Parents do not need to diagnose the problem before seeking help.

You only need to recognize:

Something is getting in the way.

The evaluation process exists to help determine what.

Sources & Further Reading

CDC ADHD Diagnosis; APA Psychological Testing and Assessment.