It’s a good idea to have a routine physical that will assess your overall health. Your doctor may also order specific tests, such as a blood test that checks lead levels, a blood test that looks for thyroid disease, and a CT scan or MRI to check brain activity. Different types of doctors can offer different expertise. It may be helpful to visit more than one doctor to get a full diagnosis and treatment plan.  A psychiatrist is trained in diagnosing ADHD and is licensed to prescribe medication. This person may not be trained in counseling. A psychologist is trained in diagnosing ADHD and is trained in counseling. This person is not licensed to prescribe medication in most states; however, psychologists in New Mexico, Louisiana, and Illinois can prescribe medication.  Your family doctor is familiar with your medical history but may lack the specialized knowledge about ADHD. This person is also not trained in counseling. A psychiatrist or psychologist who specializes in ADHD issues can make the diagnosis for you about ADHD. This person will interview you to get a detailed idea of your past and current life experiences and challenges. Bring your health records to your appointment, as these may indicate certain health conditions that mimic symptoms of ADHD. Talk with your parents or other family members about your family medical history. ADHD can be genetic, so it is helpful for your doctor to know about your family's past medical issues. Many individuals with ADHD experience difficulty at work, including time management, focusing and managing projects. These challenges are often reflected in job performance reviews as well as the number and types of jobs you’ve held. Bring these records to your appointment. Your ADHD has likely been impacting you for years. You may have gotten poor grades or you may have frequently been in trouble in school. If you can find your old report cards and school records, bring them to your appointment. Go back as far as possible, even to elementary school. If you think your child has ADHD, bring his or her report cards and samples of school work to the appointment. The mental health professional may also request behavior reports from your child’s teachers. It can be extremely useful for the therapist to talk with other people about your possible ADHD. It might be hard for you to say that you’re constantly restless or that you have trouble concentrating. Many disorders mimic some of the symptoms of ADHD, contributing to misdiagnoses.  Some of the conditions that may resemble ADHD include learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, epilepsy, thyroid dysfunction and sleep disorders. Talk with your doctor or mental health professional about whether you have any of these disorders. Comorbidity is the presence of two disorders in one patient. As if having an ADHD diagnosis isn’t challenging enough, one out of every five with ADHD is diagnosed with another serious disorder (depression and bipolar disorder are common partners). One-third of children with ADD also have a behavioral disorder (conduct disorder, oppositional defiance disorder).  ADHD tends to pair up with learning disabilities and anxiety, too.

Summary: Visit your family doctor for a physical exam. Choose the best medical professional for your diagnosis. Schedule an appointment with a mental health professional. Assemble health records. Bring employment records. Gather report cards and school records. Bring your partner or family member with you. Rule out other disorders. Recognize the possibility of comorbidity with ADHD.


Make sure the benefits will outweigh the consequences of skipping class. Know the rules at your middle school. Each school has a different absentee policy, but you will want to know what is going to happen if you skip a class before you decide to leave.  Beyond the penalty dealt by your middle school, there are effects on your likelihood of success as a student if you are a habitual skipper.  It’s possible you will get detention and have to spend more time at school. Will you be allowed to take a test later if you skip a class to miss a test? What are the consequences of turning homework in late? What will happen if your parents find out? Will this just lead to longer stints of boredom and less opportunity to hang out with friends because you’re grounded? Students who skip more than 10 days of school in a year are 20% less likely to get a high school diploma and 25% less likely to go to college. Those who do skip often feel like they are behind in their learning. Understand the truancy laws. Public schools require attendance. If you are absent and do not have a reason which falls under excused absences, you will be marked as truant. This applies even if you get a note from your parents excusing you if the excuse does not qualify to avoid truancy.  Excused absences are usually related to illnesses, a death in the family, or religious observances. Some excuses that could work are telling them you got a migraine headache and needed some quiet, you suddenly feel nauseated, you needed to call your parents. Extended absences for health reasons will often require a doctor's note. Rather than just wandering in the halls and getting caught, think of different ways you can get out of class without getting into trouble. Make sure you know what you want to do and how you want to do it before the class period you want to skip. Come up with a list of options which may work, then choose the one you think is best.  Consider going to class and asking to be released by the teacher to see the counselor, go to the bathroom, spend some time in the library, or call home. Check with the counselor and set an appointment for later in the day during the class you would like to skip. If you don’t think the teacher will let you out of class, choose a place you can hide between classes, maybe even go by these places between other class periods to see if they look like good hiding places.

Summary: Weigh the consequences. Have a good excuse. Plan in advance.


Many pool players already know this simple mathematical lesson, since it comes up every time you carom the cue ball off a rail. This law tells you that the angle at which the ball strikes the rail is equal to the angle the ball bounces off at. In other words, if the ball approaches the rail at a 30º angle, it will bounce off at a 30º angle as well. The law of reflection originally refers to the behavior of light. It's usually written "the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection." In this scenario, the goal is to carom the cue ball off the rail, and have it return to strike the object ball. Now set up a basic geometry problem as possible:  Imagine a line from the cue ball to the rail, intersecting at right angles. Now imagine the cue ball traveling to the rail. This path is the hypotenuse of a right triangle, formed by your first line and a section of the rail. Now picture the cue ball bouncing off and hitting the object ball. Mentally draw a second right triangle pointing the opposite direction. In this case, we can use the "Angle Angle Side" rule. If both triangles have two equal angles and one equal side (in the same configuration), the two triangles are congruent. (In other words, they are the same shape and size). We can prove that these triangles meet these conditions:  The law of reflection tells us that the two angles between the hypotenuses and the rail are equal. Both are right triangles, so they each have two 90º angles. Since the two balls started equidistant from the rail, we know the two sides between the ball and the rail are equal. Since the two triangles are congruent, the two sides that lie along the rail are also equal to each other. This means the point where the cue ball strikes the rail is equidistant from the two starting positions of the ball. Aim for this midpoint whenever the two balls are an equal distant from the rail. Let's say the cue ball is twice as far from the rail as the object ball. You can still picture two right triangles formed by the cue ball's ideal path, and use intuitive geometry to guide your aim:  The two triangles still share the same angles, but not the same lengths. This makes them similar triangles: same shape, different sizes. Since the cue ball is twice as far from the rail, the first triangle is twice as large as the second triangle. This means the first triangle's "rail side" is twice as long as the second triangle's "rail side." Aim for a point on the rail ⅔ of the way to the object ball, since ⅔ is twice as long as ⅓.
Summary: Understand the law of reflection. Set up the cue ball and object ball equidistant from the rail. Prove the two triangles are congruent. Aim at the midpoint of the rail section. Use similar triangles if the balls are not equidistant from the rail.