Many learning difficulties encountered in a school stetting mimic symptoms of  ADD and ADHD.  There are many instances where parents hear of symptomatic behaviors in the classroom and are baffled as to why they  their child is still struggling in school, when they are so brignt and talented.  Getting an accurate ADD/ADHD diagnosis can be difficult at any time, but the fact that the disorder shares symptoms with other health conditions  makes it even harder.   

Attention span, restlessness and frustration in the classroom and out of the classroom can result from not being able to process the millions of pieces of visual information needed to learn and function in tasks that are needed everyday.  Even Undiagnosed vision problems can often be confused with ADD or ADHD.  There are many symptoms that learning and visual disorders, ADD and ADHD have in common.

AHDH type symptoms can occur when there are eye teaming, eye tracking and perceptual problems that can cause words, letters and numbers to appear to move or jump on a page. Many people mistakenly think that they or their children have dyslexia because they can see 20/20 with or without corrective lenses and still have trouble reversing words, letters and numbers. There are cases where both problems are present. True dyslexia can still be present in rare cases after vision disorders are resolved, but in many cases what was thought of as dyslexic symptoms disappear once the eye teaming, tracking and perceptual vision skills are strengthened.

Only a comprehensive psycho-educational  evaluation can eliminate the doubt when diagnosing dyslexia, ADD or ADHD, NVLD, Autism, PDD or another learning difficulty.  Often I have recommended the child see a developmental pedicatric optomotrist to rule out visual problems, when the child is clearly presenting with visual perceptual difficulties.  One of my student's that I tested, where the school had put all the blame on his mother, who is a single parenet. The student has now received numerous scholarships and is now a senior in High School on the honor role in a private Catholic High School.   His problems had nothing to do with ADHD but was in fact the result of his visual perceptual difficulties.  The school also tried to ram the ADHD diagnosis on her younger son, who is now also attending a  priviate school and is not a behavior problem and is getting good grades.

At one point or another, from one of my own children, I have gotten the call from the school principle and the classroom teacher that one of my son's has ADHD.   One of my son's now has a law degree and another one is now an English Teacher in China.  My son Nicholas, who faced an army of psychiatrists, special educators and his pedicatrician,  all insisted he could not function off his psychotropic medications,  Nicholas is now off all psychotropic medications and doing well in school. 

Children with autism are often over-excited when in high stimulus environments, which can mimick hyperactivity.
People that suffer from hearing impairments can experience problems in social situations and may have underdeveloped communication.  They may have a hard time paying attention because of their inability to hear properly.  Undiagnosed hearing loss can appear as missing details of conversations, not listening or not paying attention.  These symptoms are also common in individuals with ADHD.

People that suffer from hearing impairments can experience problems in social situations and may have underdeveloped communication.  They may have a hard time paying attention because of their inability to hear properly.  Undiagnosed hearing loss can appear as missing details of conversations, not listening or not paying attention.  These symptoms are also common in individuals with ADHD.

 Iron Deficiency in  infants and children, however, the symptoms include irritability, inability to concentrate, impaired cognitive skills and a short attention span.  Children with ADHD also show symptoms of inability to concentrate and are distracted easily, mimicking a short attention span.

Lead poisoning, even at low levels, can create a number of problems.  Some complications of lead toxicity include mental retardation, decreased school performance, short-term memory problems, inability to concentrate and decreased cognitive function.  Many of these symptoms are also seen in children with ADHD.

Mental retardation can appear as emotional immaturity.  Some symptoms include limited social skills, school performance issues and needing extra time to learn.  Symptoms of mild mental retardation include forgetfulness and the inability to connect consequences with actions.

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar, can cause a number of symptoms similar to ADHD including aggression, hyperactivity, inability to sit still or low concentration levels. In addition, some people also have an adverse reaction to chemicals in food, such as, MSG, red dye, corn syrup or additional additives.  These reactions can include anger, agitation, impulsiveness, hyperactivity and lack of concentration.  This past year I had a student who was diagnosed with Hypoglycemia.  The child was a severe behavior problem, who had been referred to the courts for his behavior issues in school.   One of the staff at our center completed a psychological assessment, which included a functional behavior assessment.  We developed a behavior plan, for him to receive snacks and drinks in school, with the help of his pediatrician and the school nurse.  The child's behavior improved greatly and he is now doing well.