Are you identifying with some ADHD characteristics but not sure if it is worth pursuing an official diagnosis? This can help.
It can be very overwhelming, when you first start to think about whether or not your neurotype is ADHD. We can spend a bit of time going back and fourth, trying to make sense of it all, and knowing whether or not pursuing a formal diagnosis would be worth it. This blog is to help you get to know yourself a bit better through the lens of ADHD.
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I meet a lot of people who are curious about whether or not they have ADHD. The use of social media, the rise in people speaking about their ADHD and increased understanding and awareness means that people are being exposed to 'what ADHD looks like' all the time through carousel posts and reels.
It can be hard to navigate all the information and get clarity for yourself. To better understand what ADHD looks like you can take at our previous post below. This post is going to introduce to you professional screening tools that will give you a better idea ADHD presentations and if it applies to you.
Important: The screening tools do not provide official diagnoses, nor do they replace the assessment process.
If you would like or need an official diagnosis we recommend speaking to your GP or reach out to assessment service.
ADHD Screening Tools
These can also be extremely helpful when trying to identify and define the challenges you have, and can be used as a support piece when working with professionals if you go down the path to exploring a formal diagnosis.
Though they do not give you an ‘official’ diagnosis, they stand to help you understand yourself and your brain better, and that’s what we’re really here for. I always advise people to answer them from the point of view of what they experience on their worst days.
Dr. Bill Dodson
Below are 2 checklists created by Dr. Bill Dodson, a board-certified adult psychiatrist who was one of the first practitioners to specialise in adults with ADHD 25 years ago and was named a Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association in 2012 in recognition of his contributions to the field of adult ADHD. He also coined the term RSD.
We show preference to these as they include an element of assessing the other challenges of ADHD not taken into account on the DSM-5 such as emotional dysregulation.
Click on the image below to start the questionnaire.
The Self-Report screening tool is something you can complete while thinking about your own challenges.
This will be useful for gaining clarity about what your experiencing and a better idea of the presentations of ADHD.
The screening tool to the right is an Informant tool. You can complete this on behalf of a child/partner/sibling or loved one that you are curious about in relation to traits they have and challenges they may be experiencing.
Russell Barkley & Laura Knouse
Barkley is a clinical neuropsychologist who was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the VCU Medical Center until 2022 and an author of books on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. He has been involved in research since 1973 and is an expert on ADHD, devoting much of his scientific career to studying ADHD and related fields like childhood defiance.
Laura E. Knouse, Ph.D. is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Richmond. She is an expert in CBT for adult ADHD and study skills for college students with ADHD.
In partnership, they designed a 9 symptom checklist that has provided useful for adults with ADHD. The DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) uses 18 symptoms to diagnose ADHD but was originally developed for children only.
Here are some other reputable tools we recommend if you would like to double up:
The following are some screening tools for Autism.
If you want to take the next step, check out our other blogs on how to go about getting an assessment and what to expect in the process!
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