How to test concentration with Ritalin | ADHD Information
Hi - Just diagnosed myself. Not on meds yet.
However, I have 4 teenaged boys and last night I was playing "Guitar Hero" with one of them. (I do this maybe once every 6 months). But I was thinking how much better I'd play on meds.
I'm not too bad at the game, and i guess it is possible folks hyperfocus when they play (although I personally am not particularly "in" to video games). But, you could play a game like that off meds and then on meds and then compare scores. Or, you could use one of those "brain age" games or soduku games and compare on/off meds.
Maybe the test should have "dryer" subject matter, but I bet you'd be able to make a reasonable comparison.
catherinetnc39529.2244212963Hi! First of all, I am honored to see you chose to use your first post to respond to my query.
That is actually a great idea, thank you. I already found a simple memory game on the net (here) but I will think about using video games, too. I do not have any teenaged boys myself, but I do own a Sony PSP
And this might be a slight problem - because I am one of those people who hyperfocus with games (well beat'em-up's). The last and final ADHD professional I saw asked me if there was any single activity I could maybe not totally focus on but continue doing for an extended period of time, and it is playing videogames - I used to be a little overweight all the time until I was 15, because I consumed huge amounts of candy and junk food to keep myself seated while watching television. And I dropped around 30 pounds in 3 months after I got the Playstation One I just kept playing all day and nearly dropped out of highschool that year. But I'll try to find a game which is difficult for me because I get distracted playing it. Perhaps a strategy game...symbolt39529.2353240741 Hello every1, this is my first post. I am 28, male, and I got diagnosed with ADHD by three different professionals in the last 6 months (I set out to find confirmation), and the last one was finally in possession of a medical license (not only a psychologist), so I was finally given the chance to try out some medication. I was given 2 10 mg Ritalin pills to try out before I see her next, which is in a month (tooo looong).
My question is - my doc asked me to test my concentration / focus before and after the Ritalin (i.e. while it's working). Do you guys have some ideas I could use in the testing? I mean, what she suggested was writing something like a summary of some article and then doing the same with a different article while on Ritalin. Measuring the time it takes in each instance and also, producing something she could take a look at herself (a text).
Well this is gut-churning boredom for me, so I was thinking of something different - preferably something I could do twice, like two instances of one test. I've been looking for concentration tests on the net, but can't find any one that would be serious enough (it doesn't have to be anything formal, just something other than the subjective experience that I could relate to my doc about how methylphenidate affects me). Any ideas will be appreciated (doing a puzzle? drawing something? something like that). One thing I know I'll probably do is make a video of myself before and after the Ritalin, e.g. talking about something that happened to me, to see how my focus changes. But I would also need something like a test.
symbolt39528.5616898148