What is ADHD Testing?
Fun fact, there is no gold standard for ADHD testing.
Psychology is a grey field, so it’s not a black and white science. One can measure how fast a 30 pound weight will fall off of a 20 foot roof and take into account humidity, wind, and other factors. But measuring human behaviors, fallability and even attention span can be a bit more controversial. However, testing is where we in the psychology field get a better look at how the brain works and how it works under pressure.
Sometimes that pressure is sustaining attention through boredom.
So, with that said, there are several different tests but only two types: Objective and Subjective.
If you or a loved one, or a teacher, or a boss are filling out a form about observed behaviors, that is subjective.
If you’re taking a test comparing your performance to those in your demographic, like age range, and maybe even gender, thats subjective.
Objective measurement is measuring how fast a car goes from zero to 60 or how fast it travels over a quarter mile, then comparing the car to a car in its class. Google’s AI describes the difference between objective and subjective measurement as:
"Objective" means based on facts and unbiased, while "subjective" means based on personal opinions, feelings, or perspectives, referring to a viewpoint that can vary from person to person; in simpler terms, objective is factual and verifiable, while subjective is personal interpretation.
Point being, these rating scales are based solely on the opinion of who’s filling them out. Which makes them loaded with bias.
Objective measurement, when done right, is free of bias. Back to cars. One can time a car’s ability to go from zero to sixty and the time it takes for the car to clear a quarter mile (I know that wind and a variety of other things can affect this, but let’s not go there now). It’s not the opinion of the stopwatch that says how fast.
This is why at my practice, we use objective measurement to confirm a diagnosis. This is in addition to an interview to learn how symptoms of (potential) ADHD are affecting patients.
See the kind of testing we do at our office: https://www.513add.com/testing-diagnostics
More thoughts on objective and subjective ADHD Testing
Some testing facilities do four hours of testing. I don’t do this, because I believe the test taker gets weary and the results will begin to lag. Testing is normed (where they determine what’s in the average ranges) on subjects who haven’t just completed hours of previous testing.
Years ago, I set up a rating scale for incoming patients to measure just how bad or not bad their ADHD symptoms are.
Before I gave it to patients, I had 3 of my friends complete it.
One of those friends forgets his wife’s birthday, his birthday, his anniversary, and will often make reservations for the wrong day. Let’s call him Friend 1. He’s lacking executive planning skills or has problems with executive functioning. Poor short term memory leading to poor planning.
Friend 2 is the classic bull in the China shop. If you invite him over to your house, he’ll pick random things up, put them down somewhere else. Friend 2 also has a tendency to say some pretty rude things. He’s lacking what we in this industry call inhibition control. He blurts things out, grabs things he shouldn’t be touching, and can be a bit inappropriate.
Friend 3 has made his way to upper management at a well-respected financial firm. He’s made excellent decisions throughout his career and used his degree wisely. He doesn’t make financially impulsive decisions, keeps lifelong friends and doesn’t have difficulty making new friends while being a stable parent to his children and husband to his wife.
Only Friend 3 rated himself as likely to have ADHD. Friend 3 has a bit of anxiety, and tends to be hard on himself. This means he rated himself harshly.
Friend 1 and Friend 2 rated themselves as highly unlikely to have ADHD. They’re just fine, it’s the other people who complain too much and freak out too easily! Hope you saw some sarcasm there.