ADHD behavior (see the next question) can be managed and gradually trained but the behavior that most infuriates parents - the "bad behavior" - can be changed much more quickly because, in our view, it does not come directly from ADHD at all.   It is fuelled and maintained by the parents frustrated reactions and rejections.   This behavior can be changed by the careful application of the techniques developed by Warwick Dyer.

There is no single test to diagnose AD/HD; a comprehensive evaluation is necessary to establish a diagnosis and rule out other causes and determine the presence or absence of co-existing conditions.   Much of the assessment includes taking a careful history and looking at the child's academic, social, and emotional functioning and development.   Parents and teachers as well as the child are questioned.   Checklists for AD/HD symptoms and for ruling out other disabilities and determining developmental level are used.

ADHD children do NOT behave badly they behave differently.   However, excessive talking, noise and movement can be very frustrating for parents.   The problem for most parents is the moment they begin to show frustration and anger all the interactional problems caused by ordinary "bad" behavior are then added by the child to the ADHD behavior.   This can easily quadruple the difficulty of their behavior.   This effect is easy to understand when you see how extreme ordinary interactional "bad" behavior can be.   listed here.  

This could go some way to explaining why girls with adhd are under diagnosed.   It may be that their behavior is different from the boys, but it may also be that it is less likely to be responded to negatively by parents and teachers.   Boys with ADHD usually become easy to spot.  As well as their problems paying attention and getting easily distracted, they often go on to become more disruptive, hyperactive and impulsive.   Girls with ADHD do not so often develop such negative interactive relationships, they display problems with attention in school but do not go on to disrupt the rest of the class.