I'm not a child psychologist, just a mom, so I'm not trying to diagnose anything or anyone. I do have a daughter, and she absolutely has AD/HD (some people have suggested possible Asperger's too-but I'm not a big fan of labels unless it's in pursuit of real, practical help). Here's a helpful article on girls with this: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11532 (I hope this link works, if it doesn't, google "girls with ad/hd-are you missing the signs?) Just for a start. My daughter had every obvious, classic sign of AD/HD her entire life, I took her to Childfind when she was 4 years old (and early intervention program that does a lot of testing) yet it took years for the doctor and educators to see the obvious. I didn't like labels either, but I also found that the advice concerning this was able to help my daughter. It really is a lot harder to get anyone to look at this with a girl, versus a boy. My issue is, I didn't want my daughter developing all those "secondary symptoms" because nobody wanted to take the AD/HD seriously. It's those "secondary" issues that are the most detrimental. Loss of self-esteem, depression, anxiety, behavior problems, etc. Just core symptoms, like forgetfulness and messiness isn't the end of the world, and can be improved upon. Having a lot of energy can be difficult for the parents and teachers, but may be your child's best asset when she grows up. There is more research now, look up Dr.'s Patricia Quinn and Kathleen Nadeau, they've done a couple of books that my daughter and I have found really helpful. If the practical advice is working, I'm all for actually using it, rather than wait for a diagnosis to act. I think your doing the best thing already-focusing on what helps your daughter, not on what's wrong with her, and that's half the battle. I really think that is the best thing a parent can do to ensure their child a bright future. Always remember that some of the quirkiest kids have become the most amazing adults (Albert Einstien, Michael Phelps, Charles Scwabb, David Needleman-I wish I could find more famous females for this list!)

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