What does a paediatrician do after ADHD diagnosis, besides medication?

[Skea]

Hi

We are going through an ADHD diagnosis right now. And I am wondering what exactly is the role of our paediatrician after diagnosis? She told me that she doesn't see the need for medication for now. And we are on our own when it comes to any kind of training, or dealing with school. So what does an ADHD doctor do then?

[Janice_H]

Your pediatrician can examine your child, however you will need to see a psychologist or psychiatrist specializing in treating ADHD. The specialist will do a full evaluation of your child and make referrals for other services (behavior therapy, OT/PT, speech/language therapy, audiology). Once you have received the evaluation results and diagnosis, you can request that your child's school provide an IEP or 504 based upon need. The specialist will work with you to make recommendations to the school for any services or accommodations that may be needed for your child. They can also provide medication if you decide to go that route.

[GoCougs in reply to Janice_H]

Well said. This is spot-on with how it has worked for us. Our pediatrician doesn't do much for my son's mental health care, besides provide the initial referral.

[Onthemove1971 in reply to GoCougs]

You can also disagree with the decision to start medication and speak thr a psychologist or ask to see a psychiatrist. What has helped us is our son doesn't know what it is like to not have medication and be stable. Except when he forgets to take it and we get calls home and detentions..

[Reeeba1]

Have a pediatrician happens to be an adult with ADHD and has been a godsend. We went to the initial diagnosis and medication identification with a psychiatrist but now our pediatrician provide maintenance medication and advice.

[ElectraCh]

We haven't used our pediatrician much except to request a couple of referrals. I prefer to go with her with the practice I want the referral to already identified and just ask her to do it. Some other specialists we've seen are occupational therapy, behavioral therapy, educational therapy, and social skills OT. This month we add to our collection vision therapy. (But don't let that list scare you...take it one task at a time.)