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If you are worried about a child

Choose a starting path

• Something feels urgent: read red flags and urgent help.
• You do not know which professional to call: read who can help.
• You have an appointment but feel unprepared: use prepare for care.
• The problem is mainly school or lunch: read school and daily life.
• You want a low-pressure home strategy: read helping a child explore new foods, while preserving safe foods and stopping if distress or safety concerns increase.
• You are trying to find a service: use choosing a resource or provider.

Start with the child's pediatrician or primary care clinician. ADHD has no single diagnostic test, and sleep problems, anxiety, depression, learning differences, and other health conditions can look similar.[1][2] An evaluation usually needs information from more than one setting, such as home and school.[1][2]

For eating concerns, describe patterns rather than arguing over a label: foods avoided, safe foods, meal duration, distress, gagging or fear, hydration, constipation, energy, growth concerns, and what happens at school or social events. Ask whether the child needs evaluation by a pediatrician, registered dietitian, feeding specialist, psychologist/psychiatrist, or an eating-disorder service.

Prepare for an appointment

Bring a one- or two-week factual log if it is safe and not burdensome:

• meals, snacks, and drinks accepted or refused
• sensory, fear, appetite, attention, or routine factors noticed
• symptoms such as gagging, pain, nausea, constipation, or fatigue
• school and social impact
• medication timing and appetite or sleep changes, if applicable
• questions and the child's own words

Do not turn the log into a calorie contest or use it to pressure the child. The goal is useful information for the care team.

Questions worth asking

• What else could explain these symptoms?
• What measurements or evaluations are appropriate?
• Are growth, hydration, nutrient status, sleep, constipation, or swallowing concerns present?
• Which clinician has experience with both neurodevelopmental differences and feeding/eating concerns?
• What should we do if intake or health worsens?
• How will we monitor whether a treatment helps and whether side effects appear?

How to use this repository

Read the disclaimer first. Then use the topic pages as question-generation tools, not as a self-diagnosis checklist. Check each link's date and jurisdiction. When sources conflict, keep both views visible and ask a qualified clinician to interpret them for the child.

Sources

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/adhd/diagnosis/index.html [2] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-what-you-need-to-know