Diagnosis

In general, a child shouldn't receive a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder unless the core symptoms of ADHD start early in life — before age 12 — and create significant problems at home and at school on an ongoing basis.

There's no specific test for ADHD, but making a diagnosis will likely include:

• Medical exam, to help rule out other possible causes of symptoms
• Information gathering, such as any current medical issues, personal and family medical history, and school records
• Interviews or questionnaires for family members, your child's teachers or other people who know your child well, such as caregivers, babysitters and coaches
• ADHD criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association
• ADHD rating scales to help collect and evaluate information about your child

Diagnosing ADHD in young children

Although signs of ADHD can sometimes appear in preschoolers or even younger children, diagnosing the disorder in very young children is difficult. That's because developmental problems such as language delays can be mistaken for ADHD.

So children preschool age or younger suspected of having ADHD are more likely to need evaluation by a specialist, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist, speech pathologist, or developmental pediatrician.

Other conditions that resemble ADHD

A number of medical conditions or their treatments may cause signs and symptoms similar to those of ADHD. Examples include:

• Learning or language problems
• Mood disorders such as depression or anxiety
• Seizure disorders
• Vision or hearing problems
• Autism spectrum disorder
• Medical problems or medications that affect thinking or behavior
• Sleep disorders
• Brain injury