Many children suffer from a host of symptoms like defiance, impulsive behavior, hyperactivity, and lack of ability to concentrate. All these symptoms are together clubbed under an umbrella term which is known as ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Although the symptoms of ADHD are common in young children, yet they can persist into the adult life of an individual. So if you think you have a tough time concentrating on any subject or if your little kid has been behaving in a defiant manner, you can use the online ADHD test.
How to Prepare for the ADHD Test
There Are Multiple Tests for ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is not a physical disorder where a blood test or an X-Ray scan will give a definite result. ADHD is a mental condition, and there is no standard, uniform test that gives a definitive result. There are many tests, and they check for a person’s behavior by asking questions to the patient or to the people who interact with them.
So if the test is to be conducted on a small child, the parents and the school teacher will usually be expected to participate in the test. Likewise, if the test is to be performed on an adult, the spouse or office colleagues may be expected to join the test.
The Ways to Check for Problematic Behavior
There are several techniques used in the tests. Some common techniques are giving a questionnaire to the patients. Apart from this, the evaluator may monitor the behavior of the patient using a camera. The evaluators may personally watch over a patient as well to gauge how they behave in their daily life.
Some common symptoms that evaluators look for are excessive talking or interrupting others when it is not required. These signs imply that a person is impulsive and that he cannot restrict himself in a social setting.
Apart from impulsivity, evaluators check for fidgeting of hands, showing constant movement, and being unable to sit on a chair for even a few minutes are also problem signs. These signs reflect that a person is more active than what is considered normal.
There are three different types based on the symptoms that a person shows. The three different types under the umbrella of ADHD are inattentive type, hyperactive-impulsive type, and combined type, which is a mix of symptoms shown in the above two types of individuals.
Documents That May Be Used in the Test
Some documents that reflect the past behavior of the patient may be collected by the evaluator to know more about the patient. So school report cards and samples of homework done by the kid can be important documents.
One of the common symptoms shown by children who suffer from ADHD is rule-breaking behavior. So if the kid is a regular rule breaker at school, then his report card will most likely have comments that indicate that the child is a problem maker and frequently breaks the rules.
There May Be a Hearing Test
A person who suffers from impaired hearing also shows similar signs as a person who is suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is possible that a child does not look at the blackboard or does not answer his teacher because he cannot hear them.
In such a case, the teacher and the parents may mistake the child to be suffering from attention deficit, whereas the child may just be hard of hearing. So most doctors will carry on simple hearing tests to rule out hearing disorders.
There Maybe a Test to Rule Out Eyesight Problems
Just like hearing impairments may cause confusing symptoms, eyesight problems may also make a person falsely believe that a child is suffering from ADHD. So if a kid makes many mistakes in his test paper or if he finds it difficult to read a passage, he may simply be unable to see properly.
So most doctors will carry on standard eye checkups to rule out any problems with the vision of the child.
There May Be an MRI Scan
An MRI machine uses strong magnetic fields to form images of internal organs. So a doctor may suggest an MRI test to rule out improper growth and formation of brain parts. In ADHD, some connections between the different parts of the brain may be disrupted. So an MRI test will help the doctor determine if the disorders are caused due to some other brain disorder or ADHD.
There May Be a Blood Test to Rule Out Lead Poisoning
Blood work may be carried out to rule out symptoms of lead poisoning. Lead poisoning leads to symptoms like irritability and other changes in the nervous system.
Like eyesight and hearing defects, lead poisoning may cause symptoms that people may mistake for ADHD. So blood work for lead will rule out lead poisoning.
The Results of the Tests Are Not Very Accurate
The tests for detecting attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are not very accurate. So if your spouse or your little one has been detected as a positive case, you need not lose all hope.
In fact, a study published in the year 2010 showed that almost a million kids in the United States had been wrongly diagnosed with ADHD.
The Time Duration of the Test Is Very Less
A detailed examination which involves a blood test and MRI scans, will take some days. But an online test typically has around fifty questions and takes less than fifteen minutes of your time.
Conclusion
The online tests for ADHD are absolutely free of cost. And the tests can be easily accessed by everyone. Online sites give you an easy-to-understand result at the end of the session.
Also, at present, there are many experimental models that are using the latest technologies, like machine learning, etc, to improve the accuracy of the test results. Thus, with time it is expected that the accuracy of the test will go up, and you will not be misled by false positive or false negative results.