Online quizzes and symptom checklists are everywhere, and many adults recognize themselves in them. But a checklist cannot tell ADHD apart from anxiety, depression, sleep problems or stress, which share many of the same symptoms. That is why our practice requires objective testing, along with a full evaluation, before an ADHD diagnosis for anyone who has not been formally evaluated before.
What a checklist can and cannot do
Self-report rating scales are useful, and your provider uses them at your evaluation. They show which symptoms you notice and how much they bother you. On their own, they cannot measure how your attention actually performs, and they are easily colored by mood, stress and expectation.
What objective testing adds
The testing is a separate computerized assessment of the three core symptoms of ADHD: attention, activity and impulsivity. It is completed online as part of your evaluation, usually before your virtual visit with your provider, on a third-party, web-based, FDA-cleared ADHD assessment platform. It gives your provider objective data from validated testing to aid the diagnosis, but on its own it is not enough to diagnose ADHD.
Because the test measures inattention, motor activity and impulsivity separately, it gives objective evidence about your symptom pattern during the test. It can help inform the ADHD subtype, but it cannot establish it by itself.
History still matters
ADHD begins in childhood, so your provider also looks for signs in your early years, such as school reports, and for how symptoms affect your daily life now. Testing results, history and current functioning together support a sound diagnosis.
Already diagnosed?
If you completed a formal ADHD evaluation or testing in the past, send us those records. Your provider reviews them at your first visit.
Request an ADHD evaluation if you want a thorough, careful workup. Read how ADHD testing works and what it costs first so you know what to expect.
This article is general health information and does not replace advice from your own provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
A questionnaire or rating scale is useful, but it cannot by itself separate ADHD from anxiety, depression, sleep problems or stress. Our practice adds objective testing and a full clinical evaluation.
Yes. We use a third-party, web-based, FDA-cleared platform designed to measure attention, activity and impulsivity during an on-screen task. It gives your provider objective data to aid the diagnosis, but on its own it is not enough to diagnose ADHD.
If you have records of a formal ADHD evaluation or testing, send them to us and your provider will review them. Testing is required for patients who have not been formally evaluated before.