Myth 15 - If your child is doing badly in school and he has a short attention span and is easily distractable, then he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
There are many reasons for teens to underperform at school, including a lack of motivation to do well, problems at home or with peers, poor work habits or study skills, emotional and behavior problems, learning disabilities (such as dyslexia), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mental retardation or below average intelligence and other medical problems, including anxiety and depression. It is important to find the reason for your child's poor performance, especially if she is failing, and come up with a treatment plan so that she can perform up to her full potential and to prevent the development of problems with low self-esteem, behavior problems and depression.
It is sometimes difficult to figure out if a child's problems at school are caused by their other medical problems, such as depression, or if these other problems began because of their poor school performance. Children who do poorly at school may be under a lot of stress, and will develop different ways to cope with this stress. Some may externalize their feelings, which can lead to acting out and behavior problems or becoming the class clown. Other children will internalize their feelings, and will develop almost daily complaints of headaches or stomachaches. A thorough evaluation by an experienced professional is usually needed to correctly diagnose children with complex problems.
When you realize your child has a problem at school, you should schedule a meeting with her teacher to discuss the problem. Other resources that may be helpful including talking with the school psychologist or counselor or your Pediatrician.
Next > Children and adolescents don't get depressed, and if they do, then they don't need treatment.
(c) 2001 by Vincent Iannelli, M.D. (http://pediatrics.about.com), licensed to About.com, Inc. Used by permission of About.com, Inc., which can be found on the Web at www.about.com. All rights reserved.
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