combined type is basically where a kid has characteristics of both hyperactivity/impulsivity PLUS a lack of focus or attention and they are both major issues. Whereas some kids are mostly hyper or impulsive but don't have major issues with focus, and some kids are mainly inattentive and don't have any problems with hyperactivity or impulsivity. When DD is not medicated her voice is 5 times louder than normal, and her body seems to be in constant motion (unless she's doing something that really interests her, like reading a book or playing computer games). I was late giving her her medication today and I took her to the store, and she started running down the aisles a few times like a toddler and was constantly touching and poking her brother. If your DD is not hyper and is able to focus fairly well even on things she doesn't really enjoy (like a boring math worksheet at school, for example), then she probably doesn't have ADHD. My DS seems fine at home but when I watched him at school he looked like a space cadet and the teacher said the work is piling up. So I'm not sure what it means if he seems overall Ok at home (but of course, it's not like I'm having him do a ton of work here either).
My DD is the opposite of yours in that she has slow processing speed and is slow at school but her working memory is very good. She has combined type. DS is also slow but I'm not sure about working memory. He can memorize math facts fine but DD has a major problem with them (despite her good working memory on the WISC).
It sounds like your DD has executive functioning issues, but that is not always ADHD. I am really disorganized as well, and forget what I'm doing. Just a few hours ago I headed for the car because I knew I had to get something out of the trunk, but on the way there something distracted me and I forgot about the car. This happens all day long. But I don't think I have ADHD and I doubt medication would help me at all.
