To get an accurate ADHD diagnosis you would need to have your child see a Psychiatrist, not a pediatrician. A Connors scale is not a concrete way to diagnose, and although pediatricians mean well, they are not trained to diagnose, or trreat ADHD.
A full Psych evaluation should include several visits, bloodwork, eeg's and ekg's , parent input and sometimes teacher input( a note will suffice), previous Dr records and school records. I would contact or ask for a referral to a Board Certified Child Psychiatrist, or a Pediatric Neuropsychologist, for the best possible evaluation.
edbson39358.5472916667In referance to assessment of ADHD
There is, to my knowledge, no reliable test available for diagnosing ADHD at the present. Most use the protocol developed by Russell Barkley and specified by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). This can be referenced on the internet. The protocol primarily consists of ADHD specific behavior rating scales for home and school, clinical interview, ruling out other disorders, and evaluating with the DSM criteria.
The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry states "Evaluation of the preschooler, child, or adolescent for ADHD should consist of clinical interviews with the parent and patient, obtaining information about the patient’s school or day-care functioning, evaluation for comorbid psychiatric disorders, and review of the patient’s medical, social, and family history [MS]." This is pretty much the same at the AAP protocol and most Child Psychiatrists that I know use the rating scales.
Other tests can be very useful in providing good information but the above is recommended for primary diagnosis. ADHD is best seen as a developmental disorder and therefore nothing broken or wrong so there are no validated tests that currently give a good diagnosis. Hopefully we can get some in the fullness of time. The Connors scales are good and are used by many. I would suggest you and the teacher filling one out. Peds can diagnose ADHD but, as with all evaluations of this type, the higher the specific level of training the more reliable the results. Many peds as well as many licensed mental health professionals have a good deal of training. All can do a good job on routine cases but with the tricky ones, the top level is a board certified Child Psychiatrist. This is where you should go if you have any concern over the diagnosis.
The computer tests such as the TOVA have not shown good validity although a lot of psychologists use them. Barkley does not recommend them and my research shows a high rate of false positives and negative results.
General information: Russell Barkley is considered by most as the top person in the field right now.
A couple of useful sites.
http://www.help4adhd.org/
www.russellbarkley.org
Added later: http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=54
This site is from 2000 but is still pretty up to date. It does have a section on assessment. Might be of some use.
Keep plugging. The kids are worth it.
Dizfriz
Dizfriz39359.5422800926I agree with Vickie and edbson, I'd go ahead with the Conner's forms (keep copies for yourself) and request a referral to a pediatric psychiatrist, preferrably a pediatric psychopharmocoligst (although they are not easy to find). If you end up getting a diagnosis and choose to use medication as part of your plan, you will want a physician most experinced in med management.
Conner's forms can be part of the diagnostic process, but are not the only thing done. As edbson said, there is other testing to primarily rule out things that can mimic ADHD or can co-exist with it.
There is a computer test that some docs use to help with the diagnosis. This test is not approved for diagnostic purposes but some docs like the confirmation it provides (I believe you are refering to TOVA).
Sometimes IQ and achievement tests are used to look at posible learning disorders.
I would suggest that you continue what the doc has requested and then when you meet to discuss posible diagnosis and treatment, ask for a referal to a child psychiatrist or neuropsych for a second opinion. The bonus is that you would be really confident in the diagnosis and a psychiatrist would be more experienced with med management than a pediatrician if that is the treatment rout you take. Keep in mind that treatment would also include a behavior plan, social skills coaching and other things that need to be addressed on an individual basis.