15 Terms That Everyone Is In The ADHD Diagnosis Assessment Industry Should Know

ADHD Diagnosis
Finding out if you have ADHD in adults can be trickier than diagnosing children. assessment adhd with a clinical ADHD expert is the first step to getting a reliable diagnosis.
It is recommended to bring any medical or academic documents to your appointment. You can bring questionnaires and rating scales to provide details on your symptoms.
Symptoms
A thorough ADHD diagnosis involves a physical exam and a conversation with a doctor. The evaluator might ask questions about a person's family history and childhood and utilize checklists to record symptoms. The evaluator may also review the person's academic and work records, and may wish to talk with teachers or other individuals who are close to them.
The evaluator will use the official lists of symptoms for inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity to determine whether the person meets diagnostic criteria. These criteria include that the patient has a variety of symptoms for at least six months, and that the symptoms occur in more than one setting -- such as at home, work or school. The evaluator may also check for other conditions that may cause similar symptoms, like depression or anxiety.
Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of their symptoms and their impact on their work or social lives. The evaluator will also ask what the person's feelings are about the symptoms and how they interfere with daily functioning.
Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall when their problems began. A specialist may interview people who are familiar with the person, like their spouse, sibling or parent for an adult or a teacher parent for a child. The evaluator might use checklists to assess adults, as well as a list with child-related behaviors.
Contrary to the past, the current diagnostic guidelines state that an adult can't be diagnosed with ADHD when symptoms were evident prior to the age of 12. This change is intended to protect people who suffered from ADHD as children from being misdiagnosed as having other disorders such as anxiety or depression.
Medical History
If you suspect that you or your child suffers from ADHD the first step is to locate an expert who can conduct a thorough examination. Consult 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 an adult ADHD support group, since many will have worked with local specialists who are able to provide referrals.
During the ADHD diagnostic evaluation, a medical specialist will examine the patient's medical and family history. They will ask about how the symptoms affect functioning in different environments, like at home, work or in relationships. It is essential to determine the severity of the symptoms in light of the APA's diagnostic guidelines for ADHD state that the symptoms must result in significant impairment in order to be diagnosed.
The healthcare professional will speak with the patient, but may request details from the patient's parents siblings, friends, and parents who know him. Some healthcare professionals will ask people to fill out questionnaires or rating scales, including ADHD symptoms checklists as well as standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be valuable sources of information.
The APA's Diagnostic Guidelines state that symptoms should be frequent and impact performance. This is crucial, since other conditions, such as mood disorders or learning disabilities can be similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). In addition, a medical exam may be conducted to determine other causes that could be causing the symptoms, like thyroid issues, vision or hearing issues, or the use of certain medications such as stimulants or sedatives.
Family History
In some cases, an ancestor's history of ADHD is a crucial factor in getting a diagnosis. It is highly inherited and a thorough review of the patient and their relatives' histories will aid in determining if there's any familial pattern.
It is essential that doctors get a complete picture about the symptoms of their patients, including whether or not they are present in work, school or in social situations. A healthcare professional must also consider the extent of how a patient's symptoms affect their daily functioning. This is a more accurate test than simply looking at the number of symptoms or looking at the patient's intelligence.
For teens and children, a doctor may interview the child or teen and his or her parents. In many instances, a pediatrician or psychiatrist is a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. A mental health specialist with a vast knowledge of ADHD is required to conduct an in-depth interview for adults.
A thorough evaluation typically includes a physical exam which can rule out certain health conditions that can cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also gathered. This may include school and medical records, as in addition to a psychologist's or school counselor's psychological assessment. The school records of the past can be helpful to adults to determine if symptoms started in the early years of childhood.
If you are diagnosing an adult, it is especially important to look at how the symptoms affect daily functioning. A thorough psychiatric evaluation could be required, involving questionnaires and rating scales for the patient and caregivers, a psychotherapy interview and a referral to medical examination. Adults can also undergo a neuropsychological or psychometric assessment to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders.
Interviews
A healthcare professional will speak with you or your child about problems at home, school and in the community. The provider will inquire about your child's medical and family background, and will look over any documents you might bring with you, such as old school report cards. This information will allow the provider to decide if you or your child needs to undergo a test 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 which includes both home and school. The evaluations must be conducted by people who are familiar with your or your child's behaviors like teachers as well as religious and Scout leaders, coaches and parents.
Children and adults diagnosed with ADHD are likely to exhibit symptoms that are debilitating and affect their daily activities, whether at work, school or playing. The symptoms should manifest in the early years of early childhood, typically before 12 years of age. They cannot be caused by any other mental health issue.
Psychometric and neuropsychological tests that measure IQ, brain function and cognitive functioning can improve the accuracy and sensitivity of ADHD evaluations. However, they should only be utilized as part of an assessment strategy that includes a clinical interview and rating scales. These tests could include the use of a standardized questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA), or a computerized adaptive testing approach that measures responses speed, short-term memory and executive functions. In the near future digital technology, such as virtual reality for continuous performance tests as well as sensors for head movement may enhance the ecological reliability of these ADHD assessment tools by giving the person being assessed to be in their natural environment rather than in a clinical office.
Tests
Your GP or mental health care professional could refer you to an expert if he or she suspects ADHD. A thorough evaluation will consist of an extensive interview, data from other sources, such as your spouse or significant others, and standardized behavior ratings scales for ADHD. The evaluator will order tests according to the clinical impression to check for any conditions that may affect your symptoms. This includes depression, learning disabilities, or a medical illness.
To conduct an exhaustive ADHD evaluation, the evaluator must determine if the symptoms significantly impact your life and performance. The problem can manifest in many different settings, such as at home at work, at school, or in your social relationships. The examiner will inquire about how your condition affected you in each circumstance. This will enable the evaluator to establish an assessment and formulate treatment suggestions.
A complete assessment will include, in addition to symptom ratings and standardized performance tests for ADHD. These tests are founded on research that examines the behavior of those with ADHD and those without. They enhance the effectiveness of a clinical interview by focusing on specific behaviors instead of assessing a person's general performance. These measures can aid in identifying when the person is not being honest or attempting to cheat on the test which has been recognized for many years in the field of neuropsychological testing.
A thorough ADHD assessment may include the brain scan or other neuroimaging tests in addition to the typical test and symptom rating scales. However these tests aren't often used in a clinic setting because they are expensive and expose the patient to radiation.