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Tests to Diagnose ADD

In the early 1980s the term attention deficit disorder, or ADD, came to describe a condition characterized by children who could not pay attention or sit still in school. The term has now been included in ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and encompasses adults as well as children. ADD describes the condition where a person has trouble focusing and staying on task but does not exhibit the hyperactivity aspect. In order to properly diagnose the condition, tests must be administered.

  1. Continuous Performance Tasks

    • According to Fairleigh Dickinson University, three types of continuous performance tasks are used for ADD. These include a Test of Variables of Attention, or T.O.V.A., and Conners' Continuous Performance Test, or CPT. The third, known as IVA, is the Intermediate Visual and Auditory CPT. Children and adults tested with T.O.V.A. participate in a computer game which uses visual and auditory stimuli to measure attention rates as compared to non-ADD test subjects. CPT also involves the use of a computer with the recognition of stimuli. The purpose of all these tests is to measure how well the child or adult can pay attention during the entire test. Inattention, a sign of ADD, translates into a poor test performance.

    Quantitative Electroencephalography

    • Quantitative electroencephalography, or QEEP, involves the analysis of brain waves to diagnose ADD. The brain waves are analyzed by a computer to determine patterns of electrical activity. That activity is then charted in brain maps that show different activity when performing different tasks. The brain map for each activity is then compared to the brain map of a normal, non-ADD, person of the same sex and age. Analysis of the differences provides the test data to assist in selecting the correct treatment. The brain map will be used during treatment as a guide to assist in correcting abnormal behavior through neurofeedback.

    Rating Scales

    • Rating scales represent a means for the treating physician to gather information about a patient and then rate that information based upon predetermined parameters. These scales include a self-reporting scale, normally used by adults, when the patient is presented with symptoms of ADD and then asked to rate themselves from one to five, or never to often. A symptom assessment scale also rates the patient with regard to the same identified symptoms. In these scales the patient is asked questions intended to elicit a response about the symptom.

    Test Questions

    • Examples of test question areas include making careless mistakes, not listening when spoken to and failure to follow directions. Difficulty in organization, being easily distracted and forgetfulness are two more symptoms of ADD that questions focus upon. Failure to finish tasks and the avoidance of activities that require sustained mental effort also are ADD symptoms that are explored in testing.

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