AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019 - 109

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ANSWERS FOR PILOTS

Getting a medical
with ADHD/ADD

BY KATHLEEN DONDZILA KING
AOPA RECEIVES INQUIRIES from parents whose teens want to learn to fly.
Would-be pilots are encountering a roadblock to their flying aspirations-teens
who were diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD or
ADD) as children.
Statistics show a dramatic rise in this
diagnosis over the past few decades-as
much as 35 percent-and medical experts
are concerned with the reason for the
surge. Had a large percentage of kids in
past decades gone undiagnosed? Are
expectations for the behavior of young
children more demanding now than then?
The FAA does not currently allow
medical certification for those with a
diagnosis of ADHD/ADD requiring the
use of medication for these reasons: the
treating medications are disallowed
because of their side effects, and there is
the potential for significant underlying
psychiatric or psychological problems
for those with this condition.
That's not to say pilot candidates
with a past diagnosis of ADHD or ADD
can never obtain airman medical certification, but there are a lot of hoops to
jump through. They will need to have
discontinued all psychoactive medications for at least the preceding 90 days,
then a neuropsychological evaluation is
required consisting of at least an initial
battery of testing. Further testing is possible if more information is needed. Test
results determine whether airman medical certification can be considered.
Contact AOPA Monday through
Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time
800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) or by email
(pilotassist@aopa.org).
AOPA
KATHLEEN DONDZILA KING is AOPA's

technical communications manager and
an instrument-rated private pilot.

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www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 109
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - February 2019
