Do you or someone you know have a problem staying on task or sitting still? Are things like paying attention, following directions, or listening closely an everyday struggle? Is blurting out inappropriate comments and having difficulty with relationships a common occurrence? How about forgetting important things, having problems with organization or getting overly upset when you get your feelings hurt? Maybe you do well at work, but can’t deal with housework, keep up with paperwork, paying bills, or making meals? By themselves, none of these are unusual behaviors, but if they happen often and to the point that they interfere with daily life, they could be symptoms of ADHD.
ADHD is a serious but treatable childhood disorder that often continues into adolescence and adulthood. It affects every aspect of life and can have serious negative consequences for both the individual and their family. Getting a diagnosis can be a relief. Having difficulties with day-to-day tasks, things that seem to come easily to other people is often interpreted as laziness, a lack of intelligence or a character flaw. But these problems may be caused by ADHD, a neurological disorder that you can do something about. If you suspect ADHD is responsible for the constant frustration of being unable to meet expectations, seek help to stop the cycle of shame and blame.
Inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are the key behaviors of ADHD. Everyone will have some of these behaviors at some time, but for children and adults with ADHD, they occur frequently, are evident in more than one setting and must actually impair everyday functioning. Please see the ADHD Diagnostic Criteria: DSMV for more information on the diagnostic process.- To learn more about ADHD and how we can you deal with it effectively, see what we offer at Welcome to our World. We have a good selection of articles as well as audio and video sources available to further your understanding and ability to manage ADHD successfully.
Find links to over 20 Screeners,
Professional evaluation forms,
and Response to Treatment scales below.
Most of the questions in the screeners are in everyday language and provide examples of how the symptoms might be expressed in real life. It’s important to realize that these Tests or Screeners are meant to be informative rather than definitive. The simplest yet is reported by Neil Petersen for Psych Central. Researchers from Brown University recently screened for ADHD in 1,000 patients in a clinical setting using just two sentences.
“Do you often have difficulty concentrating?” and “Are you fidgety a lot?”
“These questionnaires aren’t intended to diagnose 
ADHD – they’re not in-depth enough for that,” but they may be a starter tool for busy offices.
Clinicians can screen for ADHD in adults by inquiring about 2 features of the disorder (ie, difficulty sustaining attention and fidgeting), the presence of which captures most patients with the disorder and the absence of which rules out the disorder. “This is far from a comprehensive diagnostic tool… More testing that needs to be done to figure out how accurate this questionnaire is in different groups of people.” ~ Screening for ADHD with just Two Questions
ADHD SCREENING TESTS
Printable Screening Evaluation Forms (Print out and score yourself) (If this will not link: Copy and paste https://addfreesources.net/screening-evaluation-forms/
- parents and teachers
- For adults
- For Parents
- For adults
Response to Treatment Rating Scales – Children and adults
FREE Professional ADHD Assessment Forms – Children and adults
Choose one or two of the tests that are most appropriate for your situation. We urge you to consult a doctor or other experienced health professional if you are concerned about test results. Our Find treatment and support section can help you with that process.
It’s important to note that a diagnosis of ADHD requires much more than meeting the criteria set forth in a certain set of symptoms. You need to see a mental health professional who will take a complete history using personal questionnaires and interviews with the person, their family, or teachers. This process will help them assess your symptoms and see if your story “fits” what they might expect from ADHD. Your symptoms may be better explained by another disorder or complicated by other factors that signal co-morbidity. Ruling out other disorders may call for a physical exam as well. Diagnosis also requires a determination of impairment present in two or more life settings: at school or work, in your home life, and/or in social situations. Diagnosis and Treatment Concerns: The Ideal versus Reality has more information on the diagnostic process.
If you fear that you or your child would be “labeled” by a diagnosis, check out this 3-minute video from Rick Green of Totally ADD The Terror of the ADHD Diagnosis. He interviews dozens of adults whose stories reflect relief rather than terror or shame of “being labeled.” A diagnosis explains so much of their life experience. They feel that just knowing offers an explanation for the past as well as hope for a better future.
The Terror of the ADHD Diagnosis from TotallyADD.com on Vimeo.
Which tests did you like or find helpful? Any others you’d recommend?
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Modified on Canva – www.canva.com
“Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhoto.net” Modified on Canva.com
2-question screener created on Canva
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Joan,
Excellent work out here! Anything I can do to help you along, please drop me a line. I would welcome you as a guest author for a short article at CorePsych on your insights, mission, postings, and will send it out to our list – to connect others to your excellent work?
Included for your Pinterest site if interested:
http://www.corepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Goethe.jpg
http://www.corepsych.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/evidence.jpg
Thanks again,
On the Path,
Together we can make a difference,
Chuck
Dr. Parker,
Thank you so much. I’d be honored to share my story with the community of friends you’ve built through the years. A short bio is something I could use on this site as well.
By the way, one of your short videos, “Reality- ADHD in Context,” once changed my life. It states that ADHD is NOT 24/7! Instead, ADHD symptoms interfere only in specific situations when increased variables and decreased structure leads to an absence of focus. Limiting the variables within a defined platform is the answer to getting things done. Perhaps that’s why Pinterest has been such a good platform for me. To watch, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-H6NRPh8Ww&feature=channel&list=UL
Thank you for the energy you expend sharing information about ADHD Treatment across so many mediums.
Enjoy using Pinterest and feel free to “mine” my Boards for content anytime.
Take care,
Joan
You are right that with ADHD, it can be treated successfully. Now if I had it, or ADD, I would want to get help with it as best I could. The main reason for that is because I’d want to be able to focus on things and not lose track. Like you said, there are multiple assessments that you can do to determine if you have it or not.
I grew up thinking I was dumb because I wasn’t doing well in school. I tried hard, but people just thought I was lazy and undisciplined. It wasn’t till college that we discovered that I have ADHD. I went to a professionals and they gave a pretty thorough diagnosis of it and gave me lots of info. I tried a number of medications and when I found the one that was best for me, staying on task and sitting for a long time became easier. I’ve now finished all the movies that I couldn’t sit through before!
I had a similar experience. What a relief it was to get diagnosed and finally have a reason for why I had struggled. Life has certainly changed for the better in the years since I first found out! Never stop learning what works for you.
my assistant was requiring NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Follow up a few weeks ago and was told about a web service that hosts a ton of fillable forms . If people are wanting NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Follow up as well , here’s a https://goo.gl/6ARgRV
Are the long-term effects of prescribing younger children prescription ADHD medications known?
After 40 years of research, we still don’t have a definitive answer. The biggest difference has been in slowed growth in height. Differences even out in adulthood. Understood has a good article that examines the subject from many angles. https://childmind.org/article/know-long-term-effects-adhd-medications/