ADHD assessment for children over 4 years of age
ADHD is short for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. ADHD is one of the most common behavioural disorders in children and adolescents, and its diagnosis—and differentiation from other conditions with partially similar symptoms—should be left to trained professionals. It is important that the child first be seen by a child psychiatrist for diagnosis and to complete the necessary assessment. The latter is also important because certain developmental methods are more successful when used within certain age ranges, and the ability to cooperate can vary depending on age. (Our clinic also offers ADHD testing for adults.)
Please note! The minimum age for examination at our clinic is four years; if the child is younger, you will have to wait until they reach the age of four.
At Panorama, a dedicated team welcomes children and their parents who request ADHD testing. Our child psychiatrists have gained extensive experience in this field during their hospital work, and their scientific work also covers attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and related areas. Our special education psychologists and counselling psychologists have professional experience in measuring cognitive abilities, diagnosing specific learning disabilities, and learning difficulties. If necessary, a child and adolescent clinical psychologist can also be involved in the assessment. The team members are Dr Péter Garas and Dr. Gergely Mészáros, child psychiatrists, as well as Fruzsina Radnai, clinical psychologist, and Eszter Kuncz, special education psychologist.
If you would like to sign up for an ADHD assessment, click on the BOOK AN APPOINTMENT button or send an email to pszi@panoramaklinika.hu!
Typical symptoms of childhood ADHD
- high inattention (attention deficit),
- persistent impulsivity and restless behaviour (hyperactivity), and
- uneven cognitive development, which may cause specific abnormalities in higher-level mental processes (flexibility of adaptation, inhibition of action, planning and execution).
Behavioural characteristics
What are the behavioural characteristics associated with ADHD syndrome?
- The child is impulsive, restless, unable to control his/her behaviour, or not able to maintain or focus attention. These symptoms are present in different situations (school, nursery, family, etc.).
- The child can be restless, rambunctious, unruly, often accident-prone, messy, distracted, impatient, inattentive, staring, disturbing others with interruptive behaviour, boisterous, tired or seemingly inexhaustible in energy, not completing tasks, forgetful and underachieving.
As parents, we can suspect ADHD, if
- the child’s performance is extreme, uneven, has learning and behavioural difficulties, sometimes produces particularly good, other times very poor results;
- the child is distracted, shows fluctuating emotions, behaves disorderly, acts recklessly and inordinately and may have temper outbursts;
- at school, they may complain that the child’s grades are lower than his/her abilities, does not follow rules, disrupts class or simply his/her attention wanders, makes mistakes in what he/she knows, and is unable to complete tasks and to set priorities.
The characteristics are individual, but their difficulties and life histories show a characteristic pattern, which is the task of the specialist to identify and evaluate the information.
Our diagnostic package
ADHD syndrome starts in early childhood. Characteristic symptoms may already be detected as early as around the age of two, usually causing significant difficulties until the end of adolescence, and in some cases persisting into adulthood.
It should be noted that similar symptoms can also be caused by other problems (e.g. lack of school maturity, specific learning disorder, delayed intellectual development, depression, sensory problems or behavioural problems resulting from negative life events, as well as family or environmental influences), so it is very important
- to perform a clinical psychological interview and complete a questionnaire,
- to carry out the educational-psychological assessment of the child, and
- to provide a specific examination including observation by a child psychiatrist.
In addition, to make an accurate diagnosis, it should preferably be submitted in advance
- a pre-school or school pedagogical opinion written by a teacher who is in constant contact with the child.
A comprehensive examination can help to determine the course of treatment that can thus lead to a satisfactory outcome.
Time factor is important
Time is an important factor in the diagnosis and in the impact on later life, since
- as time passes, problems may worsen;
- negative self-evaluation, lack of motivation, hopelessness, mood and anxiety disorders may develop secondarily;
- in addition, somatic (physical) symptoms such as headaches, abdominal pain, etc. may also appear;
- difficulties in managing life may become characteristic in adulthood; and
- other associated psychiatric conditions may draw attention to the problem.
Diagnosis and possible treatments
With a timely diagnosis and corresponding further treatments, such as
- behavioural therapy,
- medication,
- parental counselling,
- various developmental procedures,
- psychotherapy,
- etc.,
the aim to reduce the disturbance of psychological development and to preserve the harmony of personality development can be achieved.
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