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ADHD diagnosis

What About Girls?

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There is estimated to be 3 times as many boys than girls with ADHD. This is the case for nearly all developmental disorders including autism, motor disorders, and aggression problems. Like boys, girls with ADHD experience behavioral, academic, and social problems. Unlike boys, however, girls are more likely to become depressed and internally affected by these issues.

Surprisingly, numbers of male and female adults with ADHD are relatively equal. This may be due to the idea that, as with many disorders, adult women tend to be more help-seeking and willing to attend therapy than adult men, leading to an increase in statistics regarding adult females with ADHD. It may also be due to the idea that hyperactivity (more commonly seen in boys) tends to become outgrown quicker than inattentive symptoms (more commonly seen in girls).

Regardless of gender ratios, ADHD is certainly not restricted to males. It is important for girls with ADHD to get help, especially since lack of inhibition and impulse control in childhood can lead to self-injury later in life, which is typically not seen in males.

Contact Dr. Gordon for help with your ADHD. We have treatment and solutions available online, by phone, and in our offices.

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written by:
 Brianna Malinowski, 
Jay Gordon, Ph.D

Hinshaw, S., & Scheffler, R. (2014). The ADHD Explosion. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

ADHD diagnosis

What Can Parents with Daughters of ADHD do to Help Their Daughter Thrive Socially

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The first step to helping your daughter thrive socially is to carefully evaluate exactly why your child is having her social difficulty.  Is she breaking personally space, having tantrums, interrupting, not waiting her turn,  missing social cues due to inattention, annoying other children with off task or silly behavior?  Or is she socially shy or insecure?  The intervention will depend on your conceptualization of the problem.  So first investigate.  Talk to teachers.  Talk to your child.  Observe.  Once the source of your daughter’s difficulty is found a skills training model can be useful.  Provide opportunities to practice the behavior you want (ie waiting ones turn) and use a great deal of positive re-enforcement.  An ADHD child will require more structure, more cues, more immediate feedback and larger re-enforcement than a typical child.  Make sure your child has opportunities for success. Find her strength, encourage them and provide opportunities to express them.  Limit distractions as much as possible and attempt to place your daughter in an environment which will minimize or social difficulties (ie having only one child over at a time and playing a game or in a setting that minimizes your child’s difficulties).

How do we get people to take their daughters for diagnosis earlier?

If your daughter is struggling socially, behaviorally, emotionally or academically, familiarize yourself with the symptoms of ADHD.  If you have suspicions your child may have ADHD seek a professional ADHD evaluation.

ADHD Coaching is available online, by phone , and in-person.

ADHD diagnosis

What can Parents with Daughters of ADHD do to Help Their Daughter Thrive at School/Academically?

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Obtain a thorough evaluation by a professional with experience diagnosing and treating ADHD

Education:

Educate yourself as much as you can about ADHD and its
management. Read books, talk to professionals, and research on the internet.

Medication:

Stimulant medication (methylfenadate, amphetamines) and nonstimulant
medications (atomoxetine) have been shown to be effective. Seek a
qualified physician to evaluate use of medication.

Parent-Training/Coaching:

Parent-training or coaching is an affective treatment for ADHD.

Parenttraining/coaching helps decrease parent/child conflict, child defiance, and disruptive behaviors.

Parent-training/coachingalso helps reduce parent stress and household stress in general. Parenting strategies includecontingency management, effective use of commands, transition planning, positive attending, behavior
management plans, and various monitoring programs.

Psychotherapy:

Psychotherapy is helpful for children, adolescents and adults by helping them gain a better
understanding of the nature of ADHD, its management, and how it has influenced who they are today.
It is also useful to help with medication compliance.

Social-skills Training:

Accommodations and environmental changes.  Some strategies to help your daughter with ADHD achieve include:

-Organizing information and note taking: Students with ADHD
require extra assistance to organize and prioritize their homework.
At home, parents can help organize and prioritize assignments and
record important dates onto a home calendar.
-Providing a quiet environment: Make sure that the homework environment is quiet with
minimal distractions.
-Maintaining a routine: Routine brings order and order assists in the facilitation of focus.
Homework should be completed at the same time each day in the same quiet environment.
-Break into parts: The academic rule of thumb is that there should be 10 minutes
of homework added on for each grade level, i.e., 4th graders should be able to handle
40 minutes of homework each night. However, for a child with ADHD, 40 minutes may
be too long to sustain attention on one given subject area. Therefore, homework should
be ‘chunked’ into smaller segments.
-Manage time and set goals: After helping your child break their homework into smaller
segments or chunks, set time completion goals and accuracy goals. Use a timer to
externalize the time cue and provide the additional structure.
-Rewarding: Use positive reinforcement. Keep your attention focused on positive behavior. Set clear reward for homework completion and even for completion of each homework
‘chunk’ discussed above.
-Consequences: Adhere to the plan and set up realistic consequences for not completing the
homework.
-Communicating: Communication between the teacher, parent, and child is critical. Establish
a weekly or even daily report card which reports missing assignments, test grades, and up
coming projects and tests; and

Seek professional help: Know when it is time to ask for assistance from professionals

ADHD Coaching is available online, by phone , and in-person.

ADHD diagnosis

ADHD Symptoms in Girls

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What ADHD symptoms should parents look for in girls?

There are three main type of ADHD symtpoms, impaired response inhibition, off task behaviors, and poor persistence or sustained attention.
Impaired response inhibition includes:

-difficulty delaying gratification
-difficulty waiting ones turn
-interrupting others
-calling out, impassivity
-difficulty stopping a task
-being easily distracted
-difficulty stopping an ineffective strategy and changing to a more effective strategy

Off task behavior includes:

-hyperactivity
-being excessively fidgety
-frequently leaving ones seat
-appearing always “on the go”, constantly moving.
Poor persistence includes:
-difficulty sustaining attention with boring or tedious tasks
-difficulty sustaining motivation
-poor concentration
-difficulty returning to a task when distracted
-appearing not to listen

Other related problems include:

-poor time management
-forgetfulness
-frequently losing personal belongings
-disorganization
-poor regulation of emotions

 

ADHD Coaching is available online, by phone , and in-person.

ADHD diagnosis

Why is ADHD Underdiagnosed in Girls?

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Why is ADHD underdiagnosed in girls?
ADHD occurs in approximately 3-7% of the childhood population.  Boys are more likely to have the disorder than girls.  Boy are 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than girls  and in mental health settings boys are 6-9 times more likely to be diagnosed.  This is primarily because of referral bias.  Teachers and doctors are more likely to refer children who are more disruptive and aggressive and boys with ADHD tend to be more aggressive than girls.

What happens if these girls’ symptoms get left untreated?
Left untreated, children with ADHD are at risk for a variety of emotional, academic and behavioral difficulties, including:
-Oppositional Defiant Disorder (50+%)
-conduct problems (25-45%),
-learning disability (25-40%)
-low self-esteem and depression (25%).
-Academic under-performance 90% of the time
-Retention in a grade from 25% to 50% of the time
-Requiring Special Education in 35% to 60% of the time
-Failure to graduate high school in 30% to 40% of the time
-Less likely to attend college 20% of the time
-Less likely to graduate college 5% of the time
-Peer-relation problems 50% of the time
-Substance-abuse/dependency 10% to 20%
-Early sexual activity and teen pregnancy in 38%+
-Increased risk for STDs in 16%

ADHD Coaching is available online, by phone , and in-person.