ADHD Symptom Checklist

ADHD is a serious mental disorder that is often not diagnosed, mis-diagnosed, over-diagnosed, or under-diagnosed. ADHD checklists are one of the systems used for diagnosing ADHD, and helping physicians know what type of ADHD you suffer from as well as the severity.

Before we look at checklists directly, you need to understand the different types and different levels of severity, otherwise you will be unable to see how a checklist is beneficial.

ADHD is characterized by a persistent pattern of developmentally inappropriate attention or hyperactivity, which has been present for at least 6 months. Usually if someone has ADHD it begins before the age of seven, and will be seen during normal activities at home or school. There are three subtypes of ADHD:  predominantly inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined.

Inattentive:
The inattentive subtype is characterized by careless mistakes, the person having trouble paying attention, difficulty listening, organizing and finishing tasks. Children can be easily distracted or forgetful.

Hyperactive-impulsive:
Children with the hyperactivity-impulsivity subtype often have trouble sitting still, therefore they squirm in seats, fidget, and are always on the go.  They may not be able play quietly, and may talk excessively and in a loud voice.  Impulsive behavior includes blurting out answers, inability or difficulty waiting one's turn and interrupting or intruding in on others, conversations, games, etc.

Combined:
This is just what it sounds like, you get the combined symptoms of being inattentive, as well as hyperactive and impulsive.

Okay, now that you see what ADHD is, and how it is manifested, let's take a look at what kinds of things are usually on an ADHD checklist:

Most checklists include simple variations of the following questions, and you answer never, sometimes, frequently:

Symptoms of inattentiveness

• Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities    
  
• Has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities    
  
• Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly    
  
• Does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace    
  
• Has difficulty organizing tasks and activities    
  
• Avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (such as homework)    
  
• Loses things necessary for tasks or activities (toys, school assignments, pencils, books, or tools)    
  
• Is easily distracted by outside stimuli    
  
• Is forgetful in daily activities    
  

Symptoms of Hyperactivity

• Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat    
  
• Leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected    
  
• Runs about or climbs too much in situations in which it is inappropriate    
  
• Has difficulty playing quietly    
  
• Is 'on the go' or acts as if 'driven by a motor'    
  
• Talks too much    
  
• Symptoms of Impulsivity
  
• Blurts out answers before questions have been completed    
  
• Has difficulty waiting his or her turn    
  
• Interrupts or intrudes on others (such as butting into conversations or games)

When are ADHD checklists used?

In schools-

When children have problems at school or with their behavior, it is often suggested that they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and that they should have further testing or evaluation. These checklists are used as a part of this further testing. Usually, the evaluations begin with a parent or teacher being given one of these checklists to see if the child is exhibiting enough of the symptoms to make them a candidate for having ADHD. If they have enough to meet the criteria of ADHD, they will then go through some further testing.

While these checklists can't diagnose a child with ADHD, it can be helpful to guide you to see if your child does need additional testing.

For better diagnosis-

Often times when someone is diagnosed with ADHD a checklist is used to help further define ADHD symptoms. No ADHD adult or child has all of the symptoms, but if you notice a strong presence of these symptoms, there is a strong likelihood of ADHD, or ADD, and the areas where you show the most symptoms can help define what type of ADHD you are suffering from the most. If it is a good spattering, then chances are you have combined ADHD.

Screening-

While this is somewhat repetitive, it is important to understand that there are several different ADHD checklists available. Some of these checklists are for diagnosing, and others are for screening purposes only. Children who do not have ADHD can occasionally demonstrate some of these behaviors. However, children with ADD or ADHD exhibit them chronically and across multiple settings. These behaviors act as an impairment to the child's ability to function academically or socially on a daily basis.

So, to decide if your child is experiencing moments of childishness, or to see if this is a serious mental disorder such as ADHD, you can use the checklists as a quick tool. If properly filled out, such checklists are great tools for assessing symptoms related to ADHD. These checklists are not a tool for self-diagnosis, rather just to determine how likely it is this is a problem. The diagnosis of ADHD can only be made after a careful evaluation by an experienced medical professional.

So, in summary, the point of the checklist is to better identify the nature and degree of ADHD in particular individuals. Everyone who has ADHD suffers from it in different levels of severity, and these checklists are a great way to determine how severe, and thus how much medication is needed.

The ADHD checklists for children is different from that for adults because the manifestation of symptoms is often different. In some cases, adults are better able to control their symptoms due to years of practice.

The ADHD checklist for children and pre-adults test for the following points:

• A child / youngster suffering from ADHD is always restless and always raring to go.
  
• He does not listen and pays no heed to his parents or to his teachers.
  
• He lacks the ability to concentrate even for a short span of time.
  
• He is extremely fidgety.
  
• A child/ youngster suffering from ADHD takes risks easily and does not consider its consequences nor does he thinks about the action too much.
  
• He can be very talkative and blurts out everything.
  
• A person suffering from ADHD can be easily distracted and thus finds it difficult to complete any tasks assigned to him.

There will be a number of questions designed around these concepts to help determine if the child suffers from ADHD. If their behavior confirms most of the above points then there is a very strong chance of being a victim of ADHD.

The ADHD Checklist for adults includes the following points:

• An adult can suffer fro ADHD if he has suffered from hyperactivity and restlessness in his childhood.
• Also all the symptoms that have been mentioned under the checklist for children and non-adults.
  
• An adult suffering from ADHD shows inconsistent performance, decreasing work productivity and incomplete projects.
  
• Also such individuals get frustrated very easily and show signs of nervousness and hypertension.
  
• They find it extremely difficult to maintain close and intimate relationships.
  
• They are constantly in search of activities that stimulate them.
  
• They also suffer from bouts of depression and low energy levels.
  
• They lack organizational skills and planning.

ADHD checklists may not answer all the questions related to ADHD, and they certainly do not provide any sort of cure, but they do play a key role in identifying the specific symptoms of the disease each individual is suffering from, making it easier to treat them.

Doctors will use highly specialized designs for their checklists, used to target specific answers, and that have questions with varying degrees of weight.

If you are worried you or someone you know has ADHD, you can self test for it by filling out a checklist. ADHD checklists can be found on several sites on the web, or can be obtained from your child's school, or from a doctor.

For most ADHD checklists you will be answering the questions based on behaviors exhibited within the last six months, however, if you are an adult filling out a checklist it may be wise to consider your behavior in childhood as well, as most adults do not suddenly get ADHD, but have had it untreated since childhood.

There are ADHD checklists designed for specific age categories, for specific genders, races, etc. However, there are also some that are just general checklists. It may be a good idea to take a more extensive checklist with a minimum of 100 symptoms listed. Then, if you should a tendency for over twenty of those symptoms you should talk to your doctor about the possibility of ADHD, and look for further diagnosis.