Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Not So Foolish Assumptions 2
Conventions Used in This Book 2
How This Book Is Organized 3
Part I: The ABCs of AD/HD 3
Part II: Diagnosing AD/HD 3
Part III: Treating AD/HD 3
Part IV: Living with AD/HD 4
Part V: The Part of Tens 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: The ABCs of AD/HD 7
Chapter 1: AD/HD Basics 9
Identifying Symptoms of AD/HD 10
Peering into primary symptoms 10
Seeing a few secondary symptoms 11
Clueing in on AD/HD's Origins 11
Getting a Diagnosis of AD/HD 12
Choosing your professional 12
Preparing for the evaluation process 13
Viewing Various Treatment Approaches 14
Recognizing AD/HD's Role in Your Life 14
Dealing with daily life 15
Accentuating the positive 15
Chapter 2: Exploring the Causes of AD/HD 17
Reviewing Past Theories 17
Searching for a Plausible Theory 20
Examining the Core Issue in AD/HD 21
Recognizing the role of self-regulation 21
Exploring executive functions 22
Exploring Current AD/HD Research 24
Genetic 24
Anatomical 25
Functional 26
Chemical 27
Getting Down to the Bottom Line 29
Chapter 3: The Many Faces of AD/HD 31
Picturing the Primary Symptoms of AD/HD 31
Inattention/distractibility 32
Impulsivity 34
Restlessness/hyperactivity 36
Studying Some Secondary Symptoms 37
Anticipation of failure 37
Worry 38
Boredom 38
Loss of motivation/feelings of hopelessness 38
Frustration 39
Low self-esteem 39
Sleep disturbances 39
Substance abuse 40
Facing AD/HD in Different Populations 40
Children 41
Adolescents 41
Adults 42
Women 43
Part II: Diagnosing AD/HD 45
Chapter 4: Finding the Right Professional for You 47
Help Wanted: Searching for the Right Person(s) 47
Getting a diagnosis for legal purposes 48
Considering your professional options 48
Examining Your Values 55
Digging into your ideas about diagnosis 56
Tackling your thoughts on treatment 56
Evaluating Your AD/HD Professional 57
Selecting a diagnostician 57
Partnering up for treatment 58
Getting a Second Opinion 59
Managing Your Care 60
Being Eligible for Services 61
Examining your insurance coverage 62
Seeking out school services 62
Chapter 5: Navigating the Evaluation Process 65
Preparing for the Evaluation Process 65
Psychiatric/Psychological Evaluations 67
Medical Testing 68
Educational Testing 69
Skills Testing 70
Behavioral Assessment 71
Performance Testing 71
Physiological Testing 72
EEG 72
ERP 72
MRI 73
fMRI 73
PET 73
SPECT 74
Knowing What to Do after Diagnosis 74
Chapter 6: Conditions That Look Like or Overlap with AD/HD 77
Understanding Differential Diagnosis 77
Looking at Conditions with Symptoms Similar to AD/HD 79
Mental disorders 79
Medical conditions 84
Sensory processing disorders 86
Pseudo-AD/HD 88
Part III: Treating AD/HD 91
Chapter 7: Choosing the Best Treatment Options for You 93
Understanding the Three Levels of Treatment 93
Biological treatments 94
Psychological treatments 95
Social treatments 97
Trying Multiple Treatments Together 99
Developing...