Parents who suspect that their children might have ADHD usually consult ADHD online tests before they see a professional. The ADHD tests you find on the Internet are self-evaluation tests that help you determine if your child’s behavior matches the diagnostic criteria for ADHD. The biggest advantage of ADHD online tests is that they can be done in the convenience of your home and they don’t cost a penny. Consultation fees can be quite expensive, and it’s better to verify the presence of the symptoms yourself before having a health care specialist evaluate your child. However, there are some limitations to ADHD tests on the internet.
The problem with the tests available online is that not all of them are reliable or valid. They may not have even been designed by professionals with the knowledge and license to evaluate ADHD. Anyone with access to the Internet can easily create an adhd test and claim that this can identify the condition. This is not to say that none of the ADHD tests on the Internet are credible. Before you have your child complete a test, examine the website and see if the test was created by a doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, or alternate health care practitioner. The website should also indicate the validity and reliability of the test, as well as scientific studies that have used the test to evaluate children.
Even if you find a scientifically validated test that was authored by a licensed expert, keep in mind that the test itself does not make the ADHD diagnosis. Rather, it is up to a clinician to interpret the results and diagnose your child. There are numerous neurological disorders and learning disabilities that share the same symptoms with ADHD, and there are also many ways of interpreting the test results. For instance, Western medicine makes an important distinction between bipolar disorder and ADHD. But from the perspective of alternative medicine, these are just labels; what interests us is finding the cause of the disorder. At the very core, online tests and the Western medicine diagnosis of ADHD are just descriptive of a problem. It is more important to uncover and eliminate the very root of the symptoms.
Although ADHD online tests are diagnostically imprecise, they are still useful instruments to help parents and teachers determine if a child will need a consultation with a licensed health care professional. Bear in mind that the results of any online test should never replace a complete evaluation by the right experts. There are two online ADHD tests that can get you started. The tests below were designed by Dr. Amen of the Amen Clinic, which specializes in using natural, non-medical interventions for ADHD. Although these tests are not free, they are inexpensive and have a guaranteed reliability and validity.
