I want to get DD5 evaluated soon for ADD. She's fits into almost every check list that I've seen for ADD (although, she also fits into many for SPD too so I'm not sure there…).
JMO, but I think that I'd focus on "getting her evaluated" rather than "getting her evaluated for ADD". You've noticed that many of the things you've observed in her behaviors fit both ADD and SPD checklists, but you might not have noticed - they may very well fit into other lists.
She's very disorganized, gets distracted almost immediately, when she's hyperfocused you almost have to scream at her to get her attention, poor handwriting, constantly touching things, constant talking/interrupting, extremely picky with clothes, forgetful, stubborn etc.
This sounds like several of the children I've known you have ADHD. It also sounds *exactly* like my older dd at your dd's age… before we realized she some fairly severe vision challenges.
The thing that I think is key is to recognize that as a parent, you suspect something's up, but you're not going to get to the root of what's really going on just researching on your own. You need to have a professional observe your dd, interview you, go through her developmental history etc.
I'm mostly looking for resources, other parent's experiences, questions to ask her teacher etc.
I'd ask her teacher about challenges she's having in the classroom, what the teacher is able to do (and what doesn't work) to redirect her etc. BUT - and this is important - remember that the teacher isn't a medical or psych professional. If the teacher tells you she thinks your dd has ADD, that's the teachers *opinion*. We've been in this situation with our 2e ds and a teacher (teacher was convinced he had ADHD), and also our dd who had the vision issue had a pediatrician who was convinced she had ADHD because she bounced off the walls every time she was in a dr's office. People who aren't trained to evaluate are only going to see what they have experienced seeing. Just as parents are only going to research the things they know about or read about. What you need is an unbiased global look at the whole child, developmental history etc. by a professional who is familiar with a wide range of possibilities.
polarbear
