Any ADHD test is normally based on a child’s behavioral symptoms. The professional doing the ADHD testing will want to go through a comprehensive list of behavioral symptoms with you to see how many of these symptoms relate to your child. Any of these behavioral symptoms which have gone on for over six months could see your child assessed as having Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder on the ADHD test.
ADHD varies for every child but there are certain traits that are in common for a diagnosis to be made and that are identified through the Connor’s Scale test for adhd. The major behavioral symptoms tested include impulsive behavior, being unable to pay attention and excessive activity, with constant fidgeting and being unable to relax. Many of these symptoms are, on their own, quite normal. For example acting without thinking about the consequences is a typical developmental behavior for boys approaching adolescence and most young people go through phases where they are constantly on the go as they brain adjusts to the body changes that they are flung head long into this stage in their life.
Often behavioral symptoms overlap from one disorder into another such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder. For example where your child appears to drift off into their own world and not engage or interact with what is going on around them. Similarly, when your child becomes fixated on certain routines or rituals. So ADHD symptoms are not easily diagnosed and using these kind of symptom sorter tests will never give you a complete picture. It is very difficult for families to access support either educationally or medically or in terms of practical help for a difficult situation without going through the ADHD testing process.
Once a child has got a diagnosis of ADHD is when he or she has to start fitting the label that goes with it. This is when we lose sight of the fact that each child is an individual and the reason they are presenting such extreme behaviors is the result of a very comprehensive yet highly individual set of reasons that are unique only to that child.
Quick online symptom sorters do little to provide any insight into such a complex behavioral profile yet alone any help in identifying the underlying causes as why your child’s behaviors are so challenging and out of control..
Any consultation that will be of real value to help your child get back into control, will need to explore the triggers to the behavior. This is looking at something that is referred to as an ‘antecedent behavior’ in other words what was your child doing just prior to ‘kicking off’? Also the different contexts in which the child interacts with others in order to provide an overall picture of what is going on. These consultations should be with different people who deal with the child in different situations and should go on to become the basis of defining goals to help that young person in making better choices in their life.