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ADHD Diagnosis Adults are more difficult to identify than children. A clinical interview with an ADHD expert is the first step to a good diagnosis. You should bring any medical or academic records to your appointment. You can also bring questionnaires or rating scales that provide information about your symptoms. Signs and symptoms A doctor will conduct a physical exam and interview you to determine if ADHD is present. The evaluator may ask questions about a person's childhood and family history and utilize checklists to document symptoms. The evaluator will also go over the records of work and school and may also want to speak with teachers or other individuals who spend time with 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 include that the individual must have had several symptoms for atleast six months, and that they occur in a variety of settings like at school or at home. The evaluator may also look for other conditions that can cause similar symptoms, such as depression, anxiety or a thyroid problem. Adults will be evaluated to determine the severity of symptoms and their impact on social or work life. The evaluator can also inquire about what their feelings are about their symptoms and whether they interfere with their daily life. Many people suffering from ADHD are unable to recall the exact date they began experiencing problems. A specialist will often interview someone who is familiar with the person, like their spouse, sibling, or parent for an adult or a teacher or parent for a child. The evaluation expert may use checklists to evaluate adults, as well as a list with child-related behaviors. In contrast to the past, the current diagnostic guidelines stipulate that an adult cannot be diagnosed with ADHD in the event that symptoms appeared prior to the age of 12. This change is intended to prevent people with ADHD who were diagnosed as children from being wrongly diagnosed as having other disorders, like depression and anxiety. Medical History If you suspect that your child or yourself may have ADHD The first step should be to seek out an expert who will perform an exhaustive assessment. Talk to your doctor or mental health professional in your area for recommendations or search the phone book for “psychiatry” and “psychology.” You can also join an adult support group with ADHD because they've worked with local experts who are able to provide referrals. A healthcare professional will review the medical history of a patient and background information regarding the family during the ADHD diagnostic evaluation. They will inquire about whether the symptoms affect functioning in various environments, like at home, at work or with relationships. It is essential to determine the severity of the symptoms, as the APA's guidelines for diagnosing ADHD state that the symptoms have to cause significant impairment in order to be diagnosed. The healthcare professional will speak with the patient, but they may also ask for information from parents or siblings as well as friends who are familiar with him. Some healthcare professionals may ask patients to complete questionnaires or ratings scales, which include ADHD symptoms checklists as well as standardized behavior ratings. Teachers and other caregivers can be useful sources of information. It is important to assess the extent to which the individual's symptoms interfere in various environments, as the APA's diagnostic guidelines note that the symptoms must occur frequently and impair performance. This is crucial because other disorders like mood disorders and learning disabilities may be similar to ADHD (Austerman 2015). Additionally adhd online assessment by a doctor could be performed to check for other causes that could be causing the symptoms, like thyroid problems, vision and hearing problems or the use of certain medications such as stimulants or sedatives. Family History In certain cases the presence of ADHD in the family can be a major factor in determining the diagnosis. It is a highly heritable condition, and a thorough study of the patient's as well as relatives histories can help determine if there is a familial pattern. It is important for providers to be able to see the full picture of the symptoms a patient is experiencing, regardless of whether they occur at work, school or in social situations. A doctor should also be able to determine the degree of how symptoms impact a person's daily functioning. This is a more accurate measure than simply counting symptoms or assessing the IQ of a patient. For children and teens, a doctor can interview the teen or child and his or her parents. In many cases, a pediatrician or psychiatrist specializes in the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. For adults, a thorough interview is required by a mental health specialist who has extensive experience with ADHD and has the time to examine each patient's situation. A thorough evaluation typically includes a physical examination, which can rule out specific health conditions that can cause similar symptoms as ADHD. A complete medical history is also gathered. For children, this could include previous medical and school records and a psychological evaluation by a school counselor or psychologist. For adults documents from school are often useful in establishing whether symptoms began in the early years of life. In the case of diagnosing adults, it's important to consider how symptoms impact daily life. A thorough psychiatric exam may be required, including ratings scales and questions from the patient and caregivers and caregivers, as well as a consultation with a doctor and referral for medical examination. Adults may also undergo a neuropsychological or psychometric test to determine the connection between their symptoms and learning disorders. Interviews A provider will interview you or your child about issues at home, in school, and in the community. The provider will ask about your or child's medical and family history, and will review any documents you might bring, such as old school report cards. This information will help the provider decide if you or your child should take a test for diagnosing 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. The ratings are typically conducted over a six-month period, which includes both at school and home. The ratings should be provided by those who know your child or you well, including coaches, teachers as well as Scouts, religious leaders and parents. To be diagnosed with ADHD adults and children must exhibit a symptomatic behavior that is debilitating and interferes with everyday functioning in a variety of settings, such as at school, work or play. Symptoms must begin in the early years of childhood, usually before age 12. They are not caused by any other mental health condition. Psychometric and neuropsychological tests to measure IQ, brain function, and cognitive functioning can improve the accuracy and precision of ADHD assessments. However, they should be utilized as part of an assessment strategy that includes a clinician interview as well as rating scales. These assessments could involve the administration of a standard questionnaire like the ADHD Diagnostic Interview for Adults (DIVA) or a computer-based adaptive testing method that can measure the speed of response short-term memory, executive functions. In the future, digital technology such as virtual reality for continuous performance tests and sensors for head movement may enhance the ecological reliability of these ADHD assessment tools by allowing the person being evaluated to be in their surroundings rather than in the clinical office. Tests Your doctor or mental health care specialist may recommend you to specialists if he/she they suspect ADHD. A complete evaluation should include a comprehensive interview, information from other sources, such as your spouse or significant other and standardized behavior rating scales for ADHD. Based on the clinical findings, the evaluator may also request tests to check for any other conditions that could affect your symptoms, such as depression, learning disabilities or a medical illness. A thorough ADHD assessment requires the evaluator to determine whether your symptoms are significantly affecting your functioning and life. The impairment can occur in many different settings, like at home, at work, in school, or even in your social connections. The evaluator will ask you what your symptoms affected you in every situation. This will allow the evaluator make an assessment, and then formulate treatment suggestions. In addition to the symptom rating The complete assessment will typically include one or more tests that are standardized for ADHD. These testing instruments are based on research comparing the behavior of people with ADHD with those without. These instruments improve on the limitations of a standard clinical interview because they focus more on specific behaviors rather than an individual's overall functioning. These measures can help evaluaters determine if a person is lying or trying to cheat a test. This issue has been recognized in the field for a long time. In addition to the standardized test and symptom rating scales as well as the symptom rating scales, an extensive ADHD evaluation should include brain scans or other neurological imaging procedures. However, these tests are not routinely used in a clinical setting due to the expense and expose patients to ionizing radiation.