ADHD Tests For Adults and Adolescents
There is no one test to determine if someone has ADHD. To diagnose ADHD, healthcare professionals need to consider how symptoms impact daily activities and rule out other physical and mental disorders that cause similar issues.
The doctor will also ask you about your symptoms prior to the age of 12. Based on current diagnostic guidelines for diagnosis, to be diagnosed, you have to have suffered from your symptoms since childhood.
Conners Adults ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS)
When utilized in a clinical setting, rating scales are typically created to distinguish adult patients with ADHD from those who do not have symptoms. It isn't easy to attain a satisfactory rate of differentiation particularly when patients with different diagnoses have symptoms that overlap in the emotion regulation and impulse control domains. For instance anxiety disorders are often associated with symptoms of impulsiveness or disinhibition. In these cases rating scales can lead to an overdiagnosis or overtreatment.
To tackle this issue, in 1999 the CAARS was first developed. In 1999, the CAARS was revised to include an observer's version which allows for more accurate assessment of symptom severity. A number of studies have examined the psychometric properties of the new version of the CAARS. Particularly the convergent and concurrent validity of the measure was found to be satisfactory (Smyth and Meier, Citation 2019). There have been some criticisms regarding the measure's sensitivity to untrue reports which is a typical challenge in ADHD rating scales.
The CAARS-S:O has been used in a variety of clinical samples and across a variety of diagnostic conditions. The psychometric properties of the shorter self-report as well as the observer form have been evaluated including metric and configural invariance. These results have given a lot of confidence in the capacity of the instrument to determine ADHD symptomatology in adults.
In a recent study the authors of the CAARS:O analyzed the structure of the instrument using the exploratory and confirmation factors in a nonclinical adult sample. The results showed that the four-factor model matched the data and was consistent with previous research (Conners, Erhardt, Epstein et al. Citation 1999). The scalar-invariance in the four-factor model was also demonstrated. Additionally, both scalar and configural invariance were also confirmed by sex, which allows comparisons of scores between males and females to be attributed to true variations in the underlying concepts.
The authors of the CAARS-S:O have recently extended the findings to a Japanese nonclinical adult population. A total of 786) participants completed the CAARS-S:S and the CAARS-Observer form. The same four-factor model was shown to be valid in the North American population with satisfactory metrics invariance and configural invariance. This study extends the validation of the CAARS S:O to a new population and confirms its usefulness in identifying ADHD symptoms in adulthood.
Barkley Adults ADHD Scales – IV (BAARSIV)
The BAARS-IV examines the current ADHD symptoms and areas of impairment and recollections of childhood symptoms. It is designed to provide a complete evaluation of a person's clinical functioning as well as their school, social and work areas. It is simple to administer and only takes about 5-7 minutes. The BAARS-IV includes self-reporting items as well as other report items (e.g. spouse/partner/parent). This increases the reliability of the assessment.
The BAARS-IV evaluates symptoms against norms of age and shows if they are "Clinically Significant," which means that the individual's symptoms could be more severe than those of people similar to them. The person might require an additional assessment. A score of "Not clinically significant" indicates that the symptoms aren't impacting functioning and are more representative of the typical spectrum of symptoms that people older than.
One hundred and twenty-four adults between 18-67 were part of this study. They were either physician- or self-referred to a medical center outpatient clinic for evaluation of ADHD. Each participant completed the BAARS-IV SCT subscales (self and other report versions) and ADHD symptoms severity measures. Collateral reporters included spouses/partners, parents, friends, or siblings A total of 51 collateral reports were gathered.
The results support the validity and reliability of a three factor model of SCT and show that it can be successfully used to identify clinically significant differences between those who have and those without ADHD diagnoses. SCT symptom intensity is also uniquely related to collateral reporters' affirmations of impairments in schools, at home and in community activity functions even after adjusting for ADHD severity.
These findings are part of a growing body of literature that suggests SCT as a crucial and distinct concept that must be considered when patients are referred to a psychiatrist to be evaluated for psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, SCT symptoms can be reliably and validly assessed in the clinical setting with the BAARS-IV and are independently associated with functional impairment. More research is needed to study the effects of SCT on functioning in other areas of life like stress in the parenting and psychopathology of offspring. SCT is a crucial factor in understanding and treating ADHD in adulthood.
Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function - Adult Version (BRIEF-A)
The BRIEF-A assesses adult executive function. It contains 63 items in nine clinical scales that have been validated and developed from theory and research. They assess executive functioning domains that are commonly agreed on Inhibit (self-monitoring), Shift (emotional control) Initiate (working memory) Plan/Organize, and Initiate. It is available as a self-report and an informant version, with a teacher/parent sheet that is included. The test takes around 10-15 minutes to administer, and 15-20 minutes to be scored. T-scores as well as percentiles can be calculated on the reverse of the scoring summary sheet. The BRIEF can be used by adults as well as adolescents aged between 18 and 90. It is particularly beneficial for those who suffer from cognitive, behavioral and academic problems which are difficult to identify using other measures such as autism or pervasive developmental disorders.
The instrument was intended for use by psychologists, neuropsychologists, rehabilitation professionals, and physicians in both clinical and research environments. test for adult adhd was standardized based on a sample of women and men aged 18-90, who were matched with 2002 US Census data. The normative sample was representative of the United States population in terms of race/ethnicity and educational background, and geographic location. The Behavioral Regulation and Metacognition Indexes were standardized for both self-report and informant reporting and three validity scales (Negativity Inconsistency, Inevitability, and Infrequency) included to assess the validity of the measurement.
The BRIEF-A does not just provide an individual scale that is standardized but also provides the profile and base rates for the elevation of scales for various mental disorders like ADHD, PTSD and depression as and schizophrenia spectrum disorders as well as traumatic brain injuries and schizophrenia. It also offers reliable change indexes that can be used to evaluate the severity of symptoms in time, like after medication administration.
The authors of BRIEF-A have published a number of papers on the application of this instrument to a variety mental disorders, particularly those that affect executive functioning. The instrument can also be utilized to study the effects of brain injuries traumatic to the and dementia, as well as Tourette's Disorder and Parkinson's Disease. The results of these studies show that the BRIEF-A is a reliable and sensitive measurement of the executive functions that are used in daily life in these populations. This is especially applicable to the Inhibit and Emotional Control subscales.
Understood Assistant
Many adults with ADHD are hesitant to seek treatment and diagnosis due to the stigma associated with this condition. If you're constantly losing your keys, find it difficult to complete work tasks or have relationships that suffer because of inattention and impulsivity, getting a diagnosis is the first step to being able to manage your symptoms. There's no requirement to undergo the process of brain scanning or blood tests. Instead a professional will conduct a one-on-one interview and use rating scales to assess the way your symptoms affect your daily life.
To get a fair assessment, your evaluator is going to be looking for details about your past, including how you made it through school, how your relationships are with your family and friends, what's happening at home, work, or in school, and more. You should also be prepared to discuss your medical history and share details such as birth weight, early milestones such as when you first learned to walk or talk and any hospitalizations that you've had, as well as any health issues that are ongoing.
The SNAP IV rating scale contains nine questions on inattention and nine regarding hyperactivity and impulsivity. In addition, you'll rate how often you exhibit these symptoms. The SNAP IV is a great method to determine if you have inattention ADHD or a mixed form of ADHD. It can also be used to detect co-existing disorders like anxiety or depression.
You may also be asked to provide information on other people, including family members, since ADHD is a condition that can be passed down through families. A family history of ADHD can also indicate if you have the inattentive or impulsive-hyperactivity subtypes of ADHD.
Several types of neuropsychological and cognitive tests could also be part of your evaluation. These aren't diagnostic tests however, they can provide valuable information on how ADHD affects your memory, thinking, and learning capabilities.
The Trail-Making Test is a cognitive test that tests how quickly you can follow a letter or number sequence and how well you're adept at switching between tasks. This test can be used for adults and children of all ages and levels of skill, and it can test for ADHD as along with other disorders that impact learning and memory.