ADHD ADD symptoms, Checklists & Evaluations Tips

Check into learning disabilities

If your child struggles in school despite medications and efforts on your part and hers, it may be due to a disability beyond ADD ADHD, such as dyslexia. Dyslexia and ADD ADHD do have very similar symptoms. In fact most dyslexic children go undiagnosed. Most children that have dyslexia also have ADD ADHD. It is best to have an educational psychologist determine if your child has ADD ADHD, dyslexia or another unseen problem. Having that done will save alot of time and frustration for everyone. Especially your child.

Other clues to ADD ADHD

Some little known (and less significant) symptoms of ADD ADHD include restless sleep, trouble getting to sleep (can't turn their brain off), difficulty transitioning from one thing to another (sleep to waking, leaving daycare to go home), social awkwardness and a dislike of new situations. Confused? This is why you get a professional to do the diagnosis.

Common ADD ADHD symptoms

Some symptoms of ADHD are described as inattention, difficulty in performing tasks, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Inattention: where a person often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes, often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks, often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly, or often does not follow through on instructions.
Tasks: Where a person often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities, often avoids, dislikes or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort, often loses things necessary for tasks or activities, often easily gets distracted by extraneous stimuli, or is often forgetful in daily activities.
Hyperactivity: Where a person often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat, often feels restless, often has difficulty engaging in leisure activities quietly, or often talks excessively.
Impulsivity: Where a person often blurts out answers before questions have been completed, or often interrupts or intrudes on others.

ADHD ADD Diagnosis , Pediatrician or Psychologist ?

Many parents consult their pediatrician to have their child evaluated for ADD ADHD. An educational psychologist or psychiatrist, however, is almost always a better choice. In addition to being more knowledgeable about ADD ADHD, an educational psychologist or psychiatrist can do a more in-depth evaluation, and provide you with a great deal of valuable information about your child, such as strengths, weaknesses and learning style.

Adult ADHD ADD Checklist

General Adult ADHD Symptom Checklist

In conjunction with other diagnostic techniques the following general adult ADHD checklist helps further define ADHD symptoms. No ADHD adult has all of the symptoms, but if you notice a strong presence of more than 20 of these symptoms, there is a strong likelihood of ADHD.

Please read this list of behaviors and rate yourself (or the person who has asked you to rate him or her) on each behavior listed. Print the text below and then, using the following scale, and place the appropriate number next to the item. The scoring procedure is at the end of the test.

0 = Never 1 = Rarely 2 = Occasionally 3 = Frequently 4 = Very Frequently

IMPORTANT: This is not a tool for self-diagnosis. Its purpose is simply to help you determine whether ADHD may be a factor in the behavior of the person you are assessing using this checklist. An actual diagnosis can be made only by an experienced professional.

Past History

_____ History of ADHD symptoms in childhood, such as distractibility, short attention span, impulsiveness or restlessness. ADHD doesn't start at age 30.
_____ History of not living up to potential in school or work (report cards with comments such as not living up to potential)
_____ History of frequent behavior problems in school (mostly for males)
_____ History of bed-wetting past age 5
_____ Family history of ADD, learning problems, mood disorders or substance abuse problems
Short Attention Span/Distractibility

_____ Short attention span, unless very interested in something
_____ Easily distracted, tendency to drift away (although at times can be hyper focused)
_____ Lacks attention to detail, due to distractibility
_____ Trouble listening carefully to directions
_____ Frequently misplaces things
_____ Skips around while reading or goes to the end first, trouble staying on track
_____ Difficulty learning new games because it is hard to stay on track during directions
_____ Easily distracted during sex causing frequent breaks or turnoffs during love making
_____ Poor listening skills
_____ Tendency to be easily bored (tunes out)
Restlessness

_____ Restlessness, constant motion, legs moving, fidgety
_____ Has to be moving in order to think
_____ Trouble sitting still, such as trouble sitting in one place for too long, sitting at a desk job for long periods, sitting through a movie
_____ An internal sense of anxiety or nervousness
Impulsiveness

_____ Impulsive in words and/or actions (spending)
_____ Say just what comes to mind without considering its impact (tactless)
_____ Trouble going through established channels, trouble following proper procedure, an attitude of, "Read the directions only if all else fails."
_____ Impatient, low frustration tolerance
_____ A prisoner of the moment
_____ Frequent traffic violations
_____ Frequent, impulsive job changes
_____ Tendency to embarrass others
_____ Lying or stealing on impulse
Poor Organization

_____ Poor organization and planning, trouble maintaining an organized work/living area
_____ Chronically late or chronically in a hurry
_____ Often has piles of stuff
_____ Easily overwhelmed by tasks of daily living
_____ Poor financial management (late bills, checkbook a mess, spending unnecessary money on late fees)
_____ Some adults with ADHD are very successful, but often only if they are surrounded with people who organize them.
Problems Getting Started and Following Through

_____ Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started
_____ Starting projects but not finishing them, poor follow through
_____ Enthusiastic beginnings but poor endings
_____ Spends excessive time at work because of inefficiencies
_____ Inconsistent work performance
Negative Internal Feelings

_____ Chronic sense of underachievement, feeling you should be much further along in your life
_____ Chronic problems with self-esteem
_____ Sense of impending doom
_____ Mood swings
_____ Negativity
_____ Frequent feeling of demoralization or that things won't work out for you
Relational Difficulties

_____ Trouble sustaining friendships or intimate relationships, promiscuity
_____ Trouble with intimacy
_____ Tendency to be immature
_____ Self-centered; immature interests
_____ Failure to see others' needs or activities as important
_____ Lack of talking in a relationship
_____ Verbally abusive to others
_____ Proneness to hysterical outburst
_____ Avoids group activities
_____ Trouble with authority
Short Fuse

_____ Quick responses to slights that are real or imagined
_____ Rage outbursts, short fuse
Frequent Search For High Stimulation

_____ Frequent search for high stimulation (bungee jumping, gambling, high stress jobs, ER doctors, doing many things at once, etc.)
_____ Tendency to seek conflict, be argumentative or to start disagreements for the fun of it
Tendency To Get Stuck (thoughts or behaviors)

_____ Tendency to worry needlessly and endlessly
_____ Tendency toward addictions (food, alcohol, drugs, work)
Switches Things Around

_____ Switches around numbers, letters or words
_____ Turn words around in conversations
Writing/Fine Motor Coordination Difficulties

_____ Poor writing skills (hard to get information from brain to pen)
_____ Poor handwriting, often prints
_____ Coordination difficulties
The Harder I Try The Worse It Gets

_____ Performance becomes worse under pressure.
_____ Test anxiety or during tests your mind tends to go blank
_____ The harder you try, the worse it gets
_____ Work or schoolwork deteriorates under pressure
_____ Tendency to turn off or become stuck when asked questions in social situations
_____ Falls asleep or becomes tired while reading
Sleep/Wake Difficulties

_____ Difficulties falling asleep, may be due to too many thoughts at night
_____ Difficulty coming awake (may need coffee or other stimulant or activity before feeling fully awake.)
Low Energy

_____ Periods of low energy, especially early in the morning and in the afternoon
_____ Frequently feeling tired
Sensitive To Noise Or Touch

_____ Easily startled
_____ Sensitive to touch, clothing, noise and light

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When you have completed the above checklist, calculate the following:

Total Score: _______
Total Number of Items with a score of three (3) or more: _______
Score for Item #1: _______
Score for Item #6: _______
Score for Item #7: _______
More than 20 items with a score of three or more indicates a strong tendency toward ADHD. Items 1, 6, and 7 are essential to make the diagnosis.

ADHD evaluation- What to expect

An evaluation for ADHD should be conducted by an educational psychologist, a psychologist or psychiatrist. It will take a minimum of 2-3 hours, and may be split into two separate appointments, with an additional appointment later to go over the results. Besides confirming or denying the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you might expect to be given information on learning disabilities, learning style and IQ. For this reason I personally recommened an educational psychologist so that learning disabilities can be addressed at the time of the evaluation so that further testing can be scheduled.
You can also expect to get recomendations on several ADHD medications as well as alternative therapies.

Hyperactivity- Impulsiveness Check list

ADD/ADHD Self Test
Standard Diagnostic Criteria for
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
in Children and Adults

IMPORTANT: This is not a tool for self-diagnosis. Its purpose is simply to help you determine whether ADD/ADHD may be a factor in the behavior of the person (adult or child) you are assessing using this checklist. An actual diagnosis can be made only by an experienced professional.

Hyperactivity-Impulsiveness

Six or more of the following symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity have persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is maladaptive and inconsistent with developmental level:

Often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat.
Often leaves seat in classroom or in other situation in which remaining seated is expected.
Often runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate (in adolescents or adults may be limited to subjective feelings of restlessness.)
Often has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly.
Is often "on the go" or often acts as if "driven by a motor."
Often talks excessively.
Often blurts out answers before questions have been completed.
Often has difficulty awaiting turn.
Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., at school or work and at home.)

Additional Considerations

Some hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive symptoms that caused impairment were present before age 7 years.
Some impairment from the symptoms is present in two or more settings (e.g., at school or work and at home.)
There must be clear evidence of clinically significant impairment in social, academic or occupational functioning.
The symptoms do not occur exclusively during the course of a Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Schizophrenic or other Psychotic Disorder and are not better accounted for by another mental disorder (e.g., Mood Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, Dissociate Disorder or a Personality Disorder.)

Detecting the ADHD Student in Middle School

(Adjusting to Middle School) - Hitting the wall
If behavior is not a problem, kids with ADHD may go undiagnosed for years, relying on memory and intelligence to get by in school. Eventually they "hit the wall" and these skills no longer work. Rapidly declining grades, failure to turn in assignments or poor organizatonal skills all signal a need for a closer look, and maybe an evaluation for ADHD or a learning disability.

Types of ADHD ADD

Type 1 ~ Combined ADHD

This is ADHD that has balanced hyperactivity along with inattentiveness. One is not stronger than the other.

Type 2 ~ Predominantly Inattentive

This type of ADHD ussually is more with girls than boys.

Type 3 ~ Predominatly Hyperactive impulsive

Type 4 ~ Undifferentiated ~ This is where the person has enough traits but they just can't tell the exact type.