How Is ADHD Diagnosed?

The diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder has several important parts:

1. Taking a history of the person, the length of time that there has been a problem

2. Identifying various people's perception of the difficulty.  This is important, since a diagnosis of ADHD requires the problem to occur in most areas of a person's life, such as home, school and work.  This is done with scientifically constructed checklists.

3. Computerized assessments are used to help give an objective measure of problems with attention.  Swank Counseling uses the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA). This is an extremely helpful test to identify various aspects of problems of attention.

4. Identify other problems that may interfere with problems of attention.  For example, sleep apnea or depression may cause problems with attention.

There is no single test to identify ADHD.  That does not make it less real.  There is also no single test to identify almost any other similar problem such as learning disabilities, depression, or anxiety.

All such disorders including ADHD are continuum disorders.  Everyone has some of it, and some people are much more severe than others.

Aren't there blood tests or brain scans available?

Presently there is no reliable blood test to determine ADHD.  At the research level, various brain scans are used to learn more about the function of the brain.  These scans have demonstrated abnormal blood flow and activation in portions of the brains in people with ADHD.  However the cost of brain scans is prohibitive, and there is some risk in the tests.

Dr. Daniel Amen, author of The Six Types of ADD, has a website showing brain imaging studies.  Mr. Swank attended one of his workshops a couple of years ago. To see examples of brain scans for ADHD and other disorders, the following website may be of interest:

The Brain Place: Brain Images of ADHD