Post #2210817

2026-05-08 08:16 UTC

I have questions about #adhd A family member should probably be assessed, but there's concern about what it means for them (they are young). How does a diagnosis help? Medication? Is it all a positive experience afterwards that allows better understanding and management? Are there potential negatives?

Replies (3)

@HollieK72@mastodonapp.uk 2026-05-08 08:23

@ronanmcd@mastodon.green My son was assessed when he was seven and has ADHD. The diagnosis helped as he could get access to SEND - with actually useful SENDCOs at high school and sixth form who gave him strategies for dealing with bullying, and he also got extra time in exams and individual strategies to try to get a grade 4 at GCSE English. First and Middle school SENDCOs and teachers weren't so useful, but that was down to those specific schools - the First school seemed to use ADHD as a label and just complain that he couldn't concentrate, the Middle school was fixated on getting him to read the reading books twice so he could pass the Accelerated Reader tests.

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@hollie@social.coop 2026-05-08 08:30

@ronanmcd@mastodon.green Answering as someone diagnosed in the US: Yes, it's highly valuable. Medication can be extremely helpful and isn't accessible without a diagnosis. I didn't get diagnosed until I was 26 so I missed getting help in high school, but in college I was able to get accommodations that helped a great deal. Personally speaking, the diagnosis was a big help in understanding my experiences through life. There were many things I thought were "just me" that I discovered were common among other ADHD folks, and that solidarity has had a huge positive influence on morale and confidence. Potential negatives: Well, before our current state of affairs here, I would have said I couldn't think of a single one. Nowadays I'm honestly not sure.

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@gd4ofb@mastodon.radio 2026-05-14 13:13

@ronanmcd@mastodon.green many moons ago - decades in fact - a young person known to me was experiencing some issues so a diagnosis was sought for him. To cut a long story short, he was offered specific medication and took it for a number of years. Different people will have different experiences but with some fine tuning, it was very successful. When he was older he elected to drop the medication and he has been fine. It was a very positive outcome for him.

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