Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

What are the symptoms?

ADD can affect the whole life and quality of life. These people have poor functioning in planning and organizing, regulating their behavior and rejecting gratifications, memory and retrieving it, managing a schedule, going down to details, lacking interaction with the environment (sometimes avoidance or rejection), failing social communication (not drawing conclusions or drawing lessons, receiving erroneous messages Society and difficulty in acquiring skills and making decisions) and more.

Prior to diagnosis, there are symptoms of ADD, which appear in people and can hint at some problem with attention and concentration. Here are common symptoms that often appear in various settings and in the lives of these people or children in general:

• Low concentration ability – difficulty concentrating over time.
• A sharp and rapid transition from subject to subject.
• Perpetual restlessness – a strong need to move and move.
• Hypersensitivity and vulnerability.
• Moods that change rapidly.
• Disorder and organization – a messy work environment, a cluttered desk, many windows open on the computer at the same time.
• High-level distraction data – Any noise or movement in the environment may distract him from the activity in which he is engaged.
• Impulsive response – a prominent feature that is manifested in an immediate response, without initial filtering. The person reacts verbally or runs away from the place where he feels stress or discomfort.
• Procrastination – These people tend to postpone everything to a later date, in order not to tackle the task. This can lead to illegal actions, deferral of payments, liabilities or penalties, for example. There is an avoidance of mental and mental effort, due to the difficulty of dealing with it.
• Avoidance of interpersonal communication – This sign leads, directly, to the difficulty of forming a social or marital bond. Many times the person finds himself socially detached. At times, it is a matter of seclusion and total detachment from the surroundings.
• Hyperactivity – the need to be in constant motion, whether it is physical movement, such as walking in a room or moving any organ in the body continuously, or whether it is a reactive movement, characterized by impatience, short and nervous speech.
• Rapid and disordered eating binges.

Not all symptoms must appear in order to test feasibility and send the person for diagnosis. At the same time, it is important to remember that with proper and effective treatment, there may be a marked improvement in every area and sphere in the patient’s life.

To read more about the forms of ADHD and the parameters we test for identifying ADHD  click here

How is ADHD diagnosed?

There are several ways to effectively diagnose ADD or ADHD. Some are suitable for children and others are more suitable for adults. Apart from the issue of age, it is also important to know what the difficulty of that person is and what tasks and tasks he has to deal with in his daily life.

First, we will refer to computerized diagnoses, which are suitable for both adults and children:

• BRC test
• TOVA test – This test tests prolonged attention. After the test, the attentional functions are evaluated in comparison with an accepted norm according to the age of the examinee. In addition, it is a tool for the doctor, which will help him decide if and with what drug treatment to start.

After the computerized diagnosis, the patient will seek further diagnosis:

• Didactic diagnosis:  examining human skills in the areas of language, memory, reading, writing and arithmetic. The diagnosis is made by a certified didactic assessor and at the end valid recommendations are given for 6 years only.
• Psycho-didactic  diagnosis: A psychological diagnosis that complements the didactic diagnosis, which gives weight to a psychological and emotional aspect. The diagnosis is made by an educational psychologist or a clinical psychologist. After the diagnosis, a didactic and psychological diagnosis is made, with its results and recommendations sent to the educational institutions.
• Neuropsychological diagnosis:  A special computerized diagnosis performed using a series of questionnaires and tests, by a neuropsychologist. Once diagnosed, it suggests psychological and behavioral interventions. Through this diagnosis a non-verbal learning disability can be identified.
• Comprehensive psychiatric diagnosis:  An uncommon diagnosis, which includes a series of psychological tests and report questionnaires, designed to confirm or rule out the existence of a mental disorder (personality disorder or mental illness). The diagnosis is made by a psychiatrist.

Attention and concentration are needed over time especially when the person is learning something new, watching a movie, listening to a lecture, having to do homework or complete another task when he is required to obey instructions and meet deadlines. All of these and many other areas are harmed and not performed properly. As a result, the person may feel failure and frustration, leading to low self-esteem and insecurity.