20 Fun Informational Facts About ADHD Diagnosis Assessment
ADHD Diagnosis
Adults are more difficult to diagnose than children. A clinical interview with an ADHD expert is the first step towards a good diagnosis.
Bring any medical or academic records with you to your appointment. You may bring questionnaires and rating scales that provide details on your symptoms.
Symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis is based on a physical exam and a conversation with a physician. The evaluator may ask questions about the person's childhood and their family history and utilize checklists to note symptoms. The evaluator will also review documents from the workplace and school, and may wish to speak with teachers or other individuals who are close to the person.
The evaluator will use the official lists of symptoms for inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to determine whether the person meets diagnostic criteria. The criteria is that the person suffers from multiple symptoms for at least 6 months and that the symptoms are present in more than one place like at home and at work or school. The examiner will also look for other ailments that can cause similar symptoms, such as depression, anxiety or a thyroid issue.
Adults will be assessed to determine the severity of their symptoms and their impact on social or work life. The evaluator may also ask the individual how they feel about their symptoms and whether they affect their daily functioning.
Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall the time when their issues began. A specialist may interview anyone who is familiar with the individual, for example, their spouse, sibling, or parent for an adult, or a teacher or parent of the child. The evaluation expert can use checklists to examine adults and a list of behaviors for children.
Contrary to previous diagnostic guidelines, an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD until symptoms begin to manifest prior to the age of 12. This change is designed to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders, like depression or anxiety.
Medical History
If you suspect that your child or yourself may have ADHD, your first step is to consult an expert who can perform a thorough evaluation. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional in your area for recommendations, or look up the phone book by "psychiatry" and "psychology." You can also reach out to a support group for adults with ADHD because they've worked with local experts who could provide recommendations.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a medical professional will review the person's medical and family history. They will inquire as to what the symptoms hinder functioning in different situations, including at home, at work, or in relationships. It is important to determine the severity of the symptoms, since the APA's guidelines for ADHD state that symptoms must cause significant impairment to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will typically interview the patient, but they may also speak to the person's parents, siblings and friends who are familiar with him. Some professionals will have people fill out questionnaires or rating scales, such as ADHD symptoms checklists and standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be useful sources of information.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines state that symptoms should be frequent and interfere with performance. This is important, as other conditions, such as mood disorders or learning disabilities could be similar as ADHD (Austerman 2015). Additionally medical exams can be performed to check for other possible causes of the symptoms, like thyroid problems, vision and hearing issues, or the use of certain drugs, such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, a family history of ADHD is a key factor in getting a diagnosis. It is highly inherited and a review of the patient's and relatives' histories will aid in determining if there is any family-related pattern.
It is crucial that healthcare professionals get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, which includes whether or not they occur in work, school or in social settings. A physician should also consider the degree to which symptoms interfere with the person's everyday functioning. This is more important than simply counting symptoms or looking at the level of intelligence of patients.
For teenagers and children, a doctor may interview the teen or child and their parents. In many cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is trained to evaluate and treatment of ADHD. A mental health professional with a vast knowledge of ADHD is required to conduct a thorough interview for adults.
A thorough assessment includes a physical exam, which can help determine certain conditions that can cause symptoms similar to ADHD. A complete medical history is also a must. This may include medical and school documents as well as a psychologist or school counselor's psychological evaluation. For adults, old school records can be helpful in determining whether symptoms began in the early years of life.
In love it of diagnosing adults, it's crucial to look at how the symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric exam might be required, which may include scoring scales and questions asked by the patient and caregivers, as well as an interview with a clinician and referral for medical examination. Adults can also undergo a neuropsychological or psychometric test to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A provider will ask you or your child questions about their concerns at home, at school and in the community. The provider will ask about your or child's medical, family, and personal history, and will also review any records that you may bring with you, such as old school report cards. This information will enable the doctor to determine if you or your child should to undergo tests for ADHD.
Your provider will use rating scales to identify if you or your child meets criteria for ADHD, including six established symptoms in the two main categories of the disorder -- inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. These ratings are typically taken over the course of six months and cover both at home and in school. The ratings should be given by people who know your child or yourself well, including teachers, coaches as well as religious leaders, scouts, and parents.
Adults and children who are diagnosed with ADHD have symptoms that are debilitating, and interfere with daily functioning, whether at school, work or playing. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of childhood, usually before 12 years of age. They are not caused by any other mental health disorder.
The sensitivity and accuracy of ADHD assessments can be enhanced by using psychometric and neuropsychological tests that assess IQ and cognitive functioning. They should be utilized in conjunction with a clinician's interview and rating scales as part of a comprehensive assessment plan. These assessments can include the administration of a standardized test like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults or a computerized test method that tests executive functions, short-term memories, and response speed. In the near future the use of digital technology like virtual reality for continuous performance tests as well as sensors for head movement may aid in improving the ecological validity of these ADHD assessment tools by allowing the person being evaluated to be immersed in their surroundings rather than in a clinical office.
Tests
If your doctor or mental healthcare professional suspects ADHD they may recommend you to an ADHD specialist. A thorough assessment should include an extensive interview, details from independent sources such as your spouse or significant others, and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. Based on the clinical impression, the evaluator may also order tests to screen for any other conditions that could affect your symptoms, like depression, learning disabilities or a medical illness.
To conduct an accurate ADHD assessment, the evaluator must determine if your symptoms significantly impact your daily life and function. The problem can manifest in many different settings, for example, at home, at work, in school, or in your social interactions. The evaluator will ask you what your symptoms affected you in every situation. This will assist the evaluator make a diagnosis and develop treatment recommendations.
In addition to the symptom rating A complete assessment typically includes one or more standardized performance test for ADHD. These instruments for testing are based on research and compare the behavior of those with ADHD to those who do not. These instruments improve on the limitations of a traditional clinical interview since they focus more on specific behaviors than the overall functioning of an individual. These measures can help assessors determine if the person is not being honest or is trying to cheat the test, a problem that has been identified for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
In addition to the standard test and symptom rating scales, a thorough ADHD assessment should include brain scans or other neurological imaging procedures. These tests are not used in clinical settings because they are expensive and expose patients to radioactivity ionizing.