Going back to school means going to bed on time and staying alert throughout the day. It also means parents need to be on the lookout for the warning signs of possible sleep disorders.

One family suffered through a common misdiagnosis before they discovered what was keeping their son drowsy during the day.

Scott Toney, 17, was always tired.

"I always forgot things. I never did my homework, so everybody thought I had behavior problems and just didn't want to learn. They called me lazy and stuff like that," he said.

Scott had to deal with labels that, due to his condition, he couldn't shake for a decade. But it was a condition he didn't know he had.

"You get angry and stuff because you're just frustrated all the time because you're constantly tired," Scott said.

"[He] couldn't concentrate [and] couldn't stay awake. [He was] angry and [school officials] told me he had Attention Deficit [Disorder] but medicine didn't help," Elizabeth Dean, Scott's mom, said.

Scott's symptoms fit the profile of ADD., but it wasn't the problem once Scott had his sleep patterns evaluated. He learned he had narcolepsy, a condition that causes undesirable sleepiness at inappropriate times. While his case is extreme, inadequate sleep may be the real reason behind a misdiagnosis.

"There's no question that not getting enough sleep getting poor quality sleep can give you irritability, mood disturbances, inattentiveness that may look like ADHD," neurologist Dr. Carol Rosen said.

A recent study found many children who snore also have symptoms that mimic ADHD. Researchers also found many children who snore have sleep apnea. Scott's little brother, Mark, is one of them.

Several times during the night, Mark would stop breathing and wake up, causing him to be tired and irritable during the day. Having his tonsils removed cured his apnea, but the link between sleep and behavior appears clear.

"Although sleep apnea could be the source of ADHD-like symptoms, so could insufficient sleep," Rosen said.

Mark and Scott's mom had the following warning for other parents:

"Look at their sleep habits before automatically thinking they have something," Dean said.

Rosen suggests sticking to a sleep routine and keep bedtime the same each night. Do not allow children to have caffeine after lunchtime. No exercise, heavy meals or television just prior to bed either, she said.

Studies suggest about 500,000 children ages 2 to 8 may suffer with apnea. Sleep experts said that likely is an underestimate because many parents and pediatricians may dismiss snoring as just an annoying habit.

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