Psychologist Dr. Pamela McCaskill was in Brighton Thursday night to give a presentation to the BASE Foundation on the condition known as ADHD, which stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. ADHD was formerly separated into two categories - Attention Deficit Disorder, or ADD, and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder - but the two are now combined because both conditions originate from the same area of the brain.

Dr. McCaskill says if a parent thinks their child has ADHD, the first thing to do is to have the boy or girl checked out by a psychologist and undergo testing in order to make a determination. Dr. McCaskill tells WHMI if an ADHD-diagnosed child is having difficulties in the classroom, a conversation with the teacher and school administrators can help by developing a program for the child to get him or her the proper help.

McCaskill and her husband have had a family practice in Plymouth for the past 20 years, and have now expanded to include a satellite office in Brighton. She says the reason for establishing the office was that a good percentage of her clients at the main office in Plymouth were from the Brighton and South Lyon areas, and it filled a need. McCaskill Family Services is located in the Grand River Annex in Genoa Twp., just west of Brighton. (TT)