Indentifying ADHD is generally done with an ADHD test. It has nothing to do with any blood test since ADHD is a mental disease, so it is not diagnosable through basic medical tests.
The Association of American Psychiatric
APA or American Psychiatric Association has made a list of fourteen behavioral checkpoints to test for ADHD. According to their checklist, children must show at least eight of the checkpoints to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Problems with ADHD Behavioral Observation Tests
So many children are misdiagnosed as having ADHD. One of the major reasons that ADHD is misdiagnosed is that testing is purely observational and so biased.
The person giving the test may be less able to tolerate certain behavior than another would be and may mark it as a problem when someone else would consider it normal. For this reason, ADHD testing is often done as a collaborative effort where parents, teachers and doctors all give their opinions about a child's behavior.
It is also common for parents to believe their child has ADHD simply because they are with them often and common ADHD behaviors can be difficult to deal with. A child can only be considered to have a problem when they are displaying a symptom frequently on a regular basis.
ADHD Test Sample
Here is a sample checklist items that is found on a comprehensive ADHD test:
* Is lazy at school
* Substance abuse, learning troubles or family history of ADD or ADHD
* Easily distracted.
* Does not pay attention to detail.
* Plain writing
* Cannot listen
* Cannot remember
* Troubles with learning things
* Appear agitated
* Anxious and nervous
* Cannot communicate well
* Controlling impulses problems
* Easily getting bored
* Speaks careless
* Impatient
* Makes careless mistakes
* Unorganized
The Association of American Psychiatric
APA or American Psychiatric Association has made a list of fourteen behavioral checkpoints to test for ADHD. According to their checklist, children must show at least eight of the checkpoints to be diagnosed with ADHD.
Problems with ADHD Behavioral Observation Tests
So many children are misdiagnosed as having ADHD. One of the major reasons that ADHD is misdiagnosed is that testing is purely observational and so biased.
The person giving the test may be less able to tolerate certain behavior than another would be and may mark it as a problem when someone else would consider it normal. For this reason, ADHD testing is often done as a collaborative effort where parents, teachers and doctors all give their opinions about a child's behavior.
It is also common for parents to believe their child has ADHD simply because they are with them often and common ADHD behaviors can be difficult to deal with. A child can only be considered to have a problem when they are displaying a symptom frequently on a regular basis.
ADHD Test Sample
Here is a sample checklist items that is found on a comprehensive ADHD test:
* Is lazy at school
* Substance abuse, learning troubles or family history of ADD or ADHD
* Easily distracted.
* Does not pay attention to detail.
* Plain writing
* Cannot listen
* Cannot remember
* Troubles with learning things
* Appear agitated
* Anxious and nervous
* Cannot communicate well
* Controlling impulses problems
* Easily getting bored
* Speaks careless
* Impatient
* Makes careless mistakes
* Unorganized
About the Author:
Anne Durrel comes from California. She began writing about Bipolar and ADHD several years ago. You may want to check out her other guide on disorganized schizophrenia tips, and bipolar children guide!
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