: My friend took her child to a nuerologist today for an exam and
: diagnose of ADHD-Inattentive in her daughter. She was very
: disturbed by the lack of formality in diagnosing. She gave her a
: quick check up and then looked briefly at a questionare my friend
: filled out. She diagnosed her quickly, even without looking at
: behavioral scales from the school.: Anyway, what concerned her is that since she said she wasn’t keen on
: medicating her with Ritalin just yet, the doctor recommended she
: give her caffeine instead. She told her to have her drink a can of
: soda or even coffee in the morning. Is this an alternative course
: of treatment that I haven’t read about yet?: Dear Brenda: My son has been diagnosed for 6 yrs now w/ADHD and w/several other learning disabilites. I have read many articles, reasearched alot of books, websites, listened to lectures, talked w/parents, teachers and drs. My point is all of them have suggested to start your basic search for a dx and answers via a Psychiatrist or a Pediatrician (who would probably suggest a Psychiatrist). I have never heard of starting your dx w/a Neurologist if there was no accident or seisures prior to your concern. I am sure all of these drs are very knowledgable and update themselves on new procedures, but Psychiatrist tend to have the most knowledge about treatment plans, different medicines and what avenues to go for testing and results for patients w/ADHA, ADD. Good Luck, Theresa