Does My Child Have ADHD?

0 of 8 answered

1. In the classroom, what does a teacher most often report?

2. With homework or a longer task, the sticking point is:

3. In a conversation, your child:

4. Belongings — coats, water bottles, homework, shoes:

5. Waiting — in line, for a turn, for you to finish something:

6. Getting ready in the morning:

7. When did you first notice this?

8. Where does it show up?

How this compares with a validated screener

What this score is, and is not. These questions and the bands they fall into are ours. They are not a validated instrument, so a total here does not estimate a probability of ADHD and cannot be compared with a clinician's assessment. Free, validated brief screeners do exist — the Vanderbilt parent rating scale is free, has published national norms, and is what many pediatricians hand out² — and a clinician will use one alongside history, and information from more than one setting, before reaching any conclusion.

The American Academy of Pediatrics asks clinicians to gather ratings from parents and teachers, and to check that difficulties appear in more than one setting, before diagnosing.¹

Frequently Asked Questions

Can this quiz tell me whether my child has ADHD?

No. It is not a diagnosis and it is not a screening instrument. It sorts what you describe toward the patterns a clinician looks at, so you can describe them clearly when you ask for help.

How many questions is the ADHD quiz, and how do I answer them?

Eight. Each one describes an everyday situation — the classroom, homework, conversation, belongings, waiting, mornings — and you pick whichever of four options sounds most like your child. There is no rating scale and no score.

What can the result say?

One of four things: that what you describe leans toward the inattentive picture, that it leans toward the hyperactive and impulsive picture, that it spans both — which is the presentation most children diagnosed with ADHD have — or that nothing here points clearly at ADHD.

What would a clinician use instead of a quiz like this?

Often the Vanderbilt parent rating scale, which is free and has published national norms. The American Academy of Pediatrics asks clinicians to gather ratings from parents and teachers, and to check that difficulties show up in more than one setting, before reaching a diagnosis.

Why does it ask where the difficulties show up?

Because the setting changes what the answer means. Difficulties that appear in only one place have explanations other than ADHD, which is why the guidelines ask for information from home and school rather than from one of them.

Sources

Wolraich ML, Hagan JF, Allan C, et al. Clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 2019;144(4):e20192528. doi:10.1542/peds.2019-2528 (PMID 31570648)
Anderson NP, Feldman JA, Kolko DJ, Pilkonis PA, Lindhiem O. National norms for the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale in children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2022;47(6):652–661. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsab132 (PMID 34986222)

Medical disclaimer. This page is for general educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider about your child.