Neuropsychology Services
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Neuropsychology Services
96 W. Main Street, Northboro MA
tele: 508-393-3820
fax: 508-393-3814
NEUROPSYCHOLOGY_SERVICES@YAHOO.COM
ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER
"ADHD" stands for "attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder". ADHD is another term for "ADD"---some professionals call it by the one name, others by the second.
"Classic" ADHD, by defination, begins in childhood and begins no later than during adolescence. If you didn't suffer from this as a child, you don't have it as an adult. Having said this, there are MANY other cause of attention deficit that occur in adults. Conditions such as depression and anxiety often cause very signficant attention problems. Dementia, head injury, and other diseases of the brain can cause these problems as well. Substance abuse, both of alcohol and of many drugs, can cause attention problems. These different "root"causes of attention deficit often are treated in different ways.
Neuropsychological assessment of attention deficits is very useful when the cause, and magnitude, of the attention based deficit is unclear. On the other hand, when a child has "classic" ADHD, Neuropsychological testing often can be "skipped" and your child's physician can make the diagnosis, and begin treatment, using the simple criteria listed in the psychologist's "handbook" (the DSM-IV).
It takes a long time, often 4-8 hours, to do a full and thorough neuropsychological evaluation of "atypical" (that is, not classical) ADHD. What kinds of tests are given to assess for attention deficits?
1. First, tests are given that examine your IQ and "baseline" abilities. An attention deficit is a problem relative to your overall abilities. For example, someone who is a genius should have genius level attention. Someone who is of average intelligence should have average attention.
2. Second, there are multiple different types of attention and each of these have to be tested during an evaluation. There is attention to a very active and moving environment. There is slow, sustained attention to boring information. And different kinds of in-between attention.
3. Third, a thorough evalution of executive functions is done during a neuropsychological evaluation of attention deficits. The term "Executive function" refers to the ability to multitask, to problem solve, to shift problem solving steps, to initiate plans and to goal plan. They are processed in the front part of the brain, the same region of the brain that does not properly work in ADHD. Most people with true ADHD have problems with executive functions and, in fact, it is these problems that are often the more troublesome of the ADHD deficits.
4. Fourth, memory abilities need to be thoroughly assess in people who complain of attention problems. Many people who eventually are found to have dementia actually are having problems with memory, and not attention, when they start to develop their problems.
5. Finally, problems with attention and concentration are very commonly caused by depression or anxiety. Thus any assessment of attention and concentration has to thoroughly examine potential psychological causes to the attention problems.
Once a neuropsychological evaluation is completed, a plan of attack to fix the root cause of the attention problem can be developed. "Uncomplicated" ADHD can be treated by medications designed to boost attention. Plans to advocate for school-age children with ADHD can be made in the school system. If there is depression or anxiety that is the root casue, appropriate treatment can be started. If drugs or alcohol have cause the deficits, a plan of attack to help the person get off these substances can be designed. If a brain disease is found to be the cause of the attention problems, the patient can be sent for neurological treatments. If there are memory deficits, these can be medically treated. And so forth. A thorough neuropsychological examination is the foundation of a solid plan of treatment for attention problems.
ADHD, ADD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder d text.
