Does your child struggle in school? Many children that struggle in school are usually pushed into the ADD or ADHD category. Teachers and administrators are sometimes quick to assume the activity of a child to be such. This is not necessarily the case with all children. The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Hyperactive Deficit Disorder has helped many children to regain their capabilities in their school work and social behavior. But this happens only if the child is diagnosed correctly. Parents also have a problem in accepting the fact that their child may have a problem. And even more intimidating is the thought of putting your child on medication. That automatically clicks in one's mind that "there's something wrong with my child", of which none of us really want to accept.

In my own experience, both of my children have had learning problems. My oldest was held back twice, we finally had him tested and he was diagnosed with ADHD, although he was not hyperactive. We put him on medication, his grades came up and he was able to focus at school much better. My youngest is in 1st grade at 8 years old. He was held back in starting KDG because of his inability to retain his letters, colors, name, etc. Now that he is in 1st grade, he is struggling very much to keep up with his class. And then comes the approach of the faculty. Have him tested, his attention is short. Well, after already dealing with one diagnosis, I knew that there was something else happening. The symptoms were quite different. He is able to learn and retain, but when asked to retrieve information, he can't. To me, this is more of a processing problem. Because there are times when he can retrieve information, and other times he can't. And it's the same information. Seems that it is being stored, but the location of storage is fuzzy. We had him tested for learning disabilities and he was diagnosed with one in learning comprehension and syntax. He was also diagnosed with a language impairment. They were and still are pushing an attention problem.
That is when I decided that I would do some research myself. I have come across a disorder that defines my child's problem to a T. Central Auditory Processing Disorder, also known as CAPD. This is the process of how the brain interprets what the ears hear. Not necessarily a hearing problem, but how that sound is transmitted to the brain. We are in the testing stages of this disorder now and it is quite extensive.
Before you jump on the ADD/ADHD band wagon, take some time to do some amateur diagnosing yourself. You know your child better than anyone. Write down activity that you see and do some research on it. You may be surprised by what you find.