I am Back! Let Us Learn about Preschool ADHD

For the past several years, I have been writing my new book. It is entitled, Positive Behavior, Social Skills, and Self-Esteem: A Parent's Guide to Preschool ADHD, published by Rowman and Littlefield.

It is available at https://smile.amazon.com/Positive-Behavior-Social-Skills-Self-Esteem/dp/1475850409/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia?keywords=preschool+adhd&pd_rd_i=1475850409&pd_rd_r=c682dcd5-ba39-45cb-a611-d331566748f4&pd_rd_w=BQY1R&pd_rd_wg=R3rNa&pf_rd_p=a5491838-6a74-484e-8787-eb44c8f3b7ff&pf_rd_r=THWJQ6CS87WTY2S7VVPH&psc=1&qid=1571770958 

I am back now, and am ready to help parents who have preschool children with ADHD and educators who teach them to learn how to encourage positive behavior, social skills and positive self-esteem, as my title states!  First of all, how do parents know if their preschool child has a diagnosis of ADHD?

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY PRESCHOOL CHILD HAS A DIAGNOSIS OF ADHD?

Parents who have a child of the preschool age who suspect that he has ADHD typically know from a young age that their child’s behavior looks different from another child’s behavior of the same age. Even though we try not to label a child and try to look at his behavioral symptoms instead of a diagnosis, many preschool children exhibit behaviors that resemble the symptoms of ADHD. The difference in these children’s behavior is the degree to which they exhibit hyperactive or inattentive behaviors. I have seen many children who are jumping off of the couch one minute seemingly out of control, who are sitting looking at a book with focus and concentration the next minute.

This inconsistency of behavior also makes it somewhat difficult to make a clear diagnosis of ADHD in preschool children. However, the correct diagnosis is based upon the intensity and the persistence of these symptoms, as well as how their behavior impacts their interactions with other people in their lives. In addition, a diagnosis of ADHD may not be determined unless the child exhibits socially inappropriate behavior in at least two settings.

What are the symptoms and/or the behavior that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th Edition, (DSM-5) states is present in a preschool child with ADHD, as is consistent with the accepted definition? Read on to my next blog post!

* For clarity purposes, I am referring to a preschool child with a diagnosis of ADHD as "he" instead of "she" in my blog, even though clearly there are many girls who have a diagnosis of preschool ADHD, as well.