Once a referral has been initiated for a special education assessment, many parents consider the decision to pursue an evaluation to rule out the possibility of ADHD. Johnny’s pediatrician may be a trusted source for a valued ADHD evaluation. If Johnny’s pediatric office is unable to provide an ADHD evaluation, it is likely that the physician will readily recommend to a community professional that offers the testing. Unfortunately, medical insurance re-imbursement for this testing is often unavailable unless the evaluation is completed by a medical doctor.
Due to the potential out of pocket expense of ADHD testing, parents may want to carefully consider the necessity of pursuing a contact with a child professional. In my experience as a child psychologist, parents often decide to purchase ADHD testing in response to described classroom concerns. Specifically, Johnny is described with the ADHD symptoms of inattention and off-task behavior although the origin of these symptoms remains unknown. Having Johnny tested for ADHD will provide an important understanding of his ability to sustain attention to task in the classroom. In addition, an ADHD evaluation will provide valuable insight into alternative interferences that are handicapping his learning in the classroom.
Despite the logic supporting private ADHD testing, another alternative available to parents may be the Pre-Diagnostic Assessment that I have created for parents to consider at this point in time. My PDA is a 78-item ADHD test for parents to use when initial concerns arise about their child. The PDA is intended as a primer measure when considering the possible need for a professional evaluation. It can be used to discriminate essential factors that are predictive of ADHD or alternate conditions that interfere with classroom performance. The intent of the PDA is to predict whether there is adequate concern that warrants the decision for a private ADHD evaluation. This parent questionnaire can help parents decide when it makes sense to pursue ADHD testing.
The practicality of the PDA is evident in its goal of predicting the probability of an ADHD diagnosis. It is quite useful in assembling the criteria into a format that will help distinguish ADHD symptoms from those that might suggest learning disabilities, developmental delays, sensory regulation dysfunction, or emotional/behavioral difficulties. Although parents may still use the PDA for older children, the PDA item questions are aimed at addressing the concerns that may be presenting in the elementary school age student.
Despite the practical utility of the PDA, it is still important to recognize its vulnerability as a subjective measure. That is, the validity and credibility of any questionnaire will always be dependent on how objective Johnny’s parents can be in responding to item questions. Well intended parents are always influenced to some degree by their own emotions and feelings about their child. Parent’s interest in helping their child’s circumstance can easily produce biased responding to PDA questions. Of course, there are a number of behavior rating scales commonly used by child professionals evaluating for ADHD which are equally sensitive to a parent’s subjective rating. Despite this drawback, subjective rating scales are still regarded as useful measuring tools that can provide an additional source of information concerning a child’s behavior and performance.
Once Johnny has been identified for special education assessment at his public school, parents often feel compelled to pursue ADHD testing as their responsible contribution to the assessment. The decision by the parents to test for ADHD is considered a timely intervention to rule out the possibility of an additional learning handicap. An ADHD evaluation will specifically address the identified symptoms of inattention, distractibility, and off-task behavior that may be impacting Johnny’s daily performance efforts in the classroom. In addition, special education teams are generally relieved to allow medical professionals the opportunity to provide diagnostic statements about a student. Once a child professional has offered a diagnostic opinion about Johnny, the special education team can feel more comfortable focusing on the learning interventions and support that may be afforded to Johnny by his school.
The completion of the ADHD evaluation in combination with the special education assessment will offer a most comprehensive and powerful understanding of Johnny’s learning potential. Specific learning accommodations and instructional strategies will be generated by the testing outcome. Although special education qualification will need to be determined according to handicap guidelines, the results of achievement, cognitive, and ADHD testing can combine to construct a well aimed instructional intervention strategy for Johnny. In the event that ADHD is identified, Johnny’s parents will likely be provided with the option of considering the trial use of stimulant medications to improve attention and on-task behavior in the classroom. Classroom teachers are generally willing and cooperative to monitor the initiation of stimulant medications for Johnny in the classroom. Available medication management forms can be completed by the classroom teacher as well as the parents providing valuable feedback to the prescribing physician. Coordination of ADHD interventions and learning accommodations will generally increase the probabilities of Johnny’s future academic success.