There are many ADHD deniers to-day who work in various fields from education to pediatrics, psychology and psychiatry.
They form part of a fairly large proportion of people, including some parents, who are convinced that hyperactivity, restlessness, fidgeting and constant chatter together with impulsive behavior is just a normal part of childhood.
In many ways they are right of course because these behaviors in very young children and preschoolers are actually a part of normal childhood behavior.
That is why the ADHD test is open to criticism.
It is also the reason why diagnosis before the age of five is not recommended.
How do you know when you should actually send your child who is over five for an ADHD test? The test will eventually establish whether your child has ADHD or not, with a reasonable amount of accuracy.
That is another reason for criticizing it as all the questionnaires used are asking about a judgment on the child's behavior and this, inevitably, is a little subjective.
Although the checklist is exhaustive, it is still comparing the ADHD child with their peers.
It also takes into account whether the child's functioning is affecting his school, home and social life.
It is recommended that no testing should be done unless these symptoms have been present for at least six months.
Also, symptoms have to be present in at least two settings.
The other problem associated with the attention deficit disorder test is that diagnosis must be carried out by a qualified person, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics .
This should be a paediatrician, a child specialist or a psychologist.
It could also be your doctor but you would need to check to see if he or she has experience in treating ADHD.
General practitioners or family doctors do not have this sort of specialist experience to do the ADHD test.
Certainly, you should resist any pressure by school teachers to have your child take psychostimulants without any proper diagnosis.
This, unfortunately is happening and is quite common.
Teachers are desperate to have a quiet classroom but this is not the way to do it! These then are the things you should be aware of when going for an ADHD test.
Once a diagnosis is confirmed you should think carefully about treatment options.
To help you do that, I have outlined on my website what the various options are.
You will also learn about how successful and safe homeopathy is but of course, your doctor will sneer at that so it is a good idea to be informed and up to date.