How is ADHD diagnosed?
A. ADHD is diagnosed through an assessment interview process in which a persons history and observable behaviors in their usual settings (at home, school or work) are noted. Ideally, the therapist making the diagnosis includes input from key people in the persons daily environment, which could include family members, co-workers, and/or teachers. It is always helpful to determine what precipitated the request for evaluation (for example, symptoms of inattentiveness or impulsivity that lead to problems in school or work performance), what approaches to correct problems have already been tried (for instance, behaviorial techniques like positive reinforcement), and how effective those approaches have been.
The diagnosis of ADHD can be made reliably using well–tested diagnostic interview methods. Diagnosis is based on history and observable behaviors in the child’s usual settings. Ideally, a health care practitioner making a diagnosis should include input from parents and teachers. The key elements include a thorough history covering the presenting symptoms, differential diagnosis, possible comorbid conditions, as well as medical, developmental, school, psychosocial, and family histories. It is helpful to determine what precipitated the request for evaluation and what approaches had been used in the past. As of yet, there is no independent test for ADHD. This is not unique to ADHD, but applies as well to most psychiatric disorders, including other disabling disorders such as schizophrenia and autism.
While there is no biological or psychological test that makes a definitive diagnosis of ADHD, a diagnosis can be made based on one’s clinical history of abnormality and impairment. An evaluation for ADHD will often include assessment of intellectual, academic, social and emotional functioning. Medical examination is also important to rule out low occurring but possible causes of ADHD like symptoms (e.g., adverse reaction to medications, thyroid problems, etc.). The diagnostic process must also include gathering data from teachers as well as other adults who may interact on a routine basis with the individual being evaluated. It is even more important in the ADHD adult diagnostic process to obtain a careful history of childhood, academic, behavioral and vocational problems. With the increased recognition that ADHD is a disorder presenting throughout the life span, questionnaires and related diagnostic tools for the assessment of adult ADHD have been standardized and are increasingly ava
Adults with ADHD may tell their physician about symptoms including: lack of focus, disorganization, restlessness, difficulty finishing projects and/or losing things. An adult with ADHD may have difficulties at work, at home, and in their personal relationships. Adults with ADHD must have had their first symptoms prior to age 7 and these symptoms must have continued to cause impairment on a regular basis since then.
For a diagnosis of ADHD to be made, a thorough assessment must be conducted by an experienced clinician, usually a paediatrician or psychiatrist, but sometimes a psychologist. The assessment process will differ according to whether the person being assessed is a child or an adult, but the key components include: • a comprehensive interview with the person/adult caregivers (usually the parents in the case of young persons); • review of the person’s current concerns, including the frequency and duration of the symptoms and any associated behaviours; • review of the person’s history, especially childhood history; • a developmental assessment to determine the child’s developmental progress; this may lead to further assessment of vision, hearing and language ability; • school-related assessments, including reports of behaviour, learning and attendance at school and information on how the school is managing the behaviour; for adults, historical records may need to be considered; • completion
