Assessing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

Over the past two decades, the assessment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) has evolved into a sophisticated balance of science and clinical judgement essential for arriving at reliable and valid diagnostic de- sions. Because of the precarious mix of clinical and empirical skill needed to evaluate children with this disorder, diagnostic practice in this area has been found wanting by many critics. In fact, a 1998 National Institutes of Health consensus panel concluded that “existing diagnostic treatment practices ... point to the need for improved awareness by the health service sector conce- ing an appropriate assessment, treatment, and follow-up. A more consistent set of diagnostic procedures and practice guidelines is of utmost importance” (p. 21). Drs. Arthur D. Anastopoulos and Terri L. Shelton have designed a book that addresses this need. A number of themes are highlighted throughout the text. Perhaps the most important is that the assessment guidelines set forth in this book represent a balance between science and practice. The authors account for the realities of clinical practice in an age of managed care while challenging clinicians to heed the lessons of empirical research. Although the use of empirically based asse- ment procedures may at times fly in the face of cost constraints (e. g. , systematic evaluation of medication effects), the authors present a strong argument for them. Further, they call upon their vast clinical experience to provide concrete suggestions for translating research findings into effective evaluations.

This volume provides child health care professionals and educators with a comprehensive set of empirically-driven, process-oriented guidelines for assessing children and adolescents who exhibit symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD).

• Offers guidelines for conducting an AD/HD assessment;
• Includes a detailed description of the defining features of AD/HD;
• Comprehensively discusses how AD/HD and its associated features unfold across the life span;
• Presents an in-depth critique of various assessment procedures.

Assessing Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder steers the reader through the process of selecting measures and reaching accurate AD/HD diagnoses. The text also reviews the process of translating assessment data into treatment recommendations, giving feedback to children and families, and evaluating treatment efficacy.

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Tracing both overidentification and underidentification of the disorder to the highly variable manner in which it is evaluated, Anastopoulos and Shelton (both, U. of North Carolina-Greensboro) suggest guidelines for the procedure of assessment and for integrating and interpreting the clinical data that such assessment generates. Their approach has worked well for them, but they do not claim it is uniquely correct. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

This volume provides child health care professionals and educators with a comprehensive set of empirically-driven, process-oriented guidelines for assessing children and adolescents who exhibit symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). The content of Assessing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder includes a detailed description of the defining features of AD/HD, along with a comprehensive discussion of the manner in which AD/HD and its associated features unfold across the life span. Also presented is a comprehensive review and critique of various assessment procedures. Against this background, the reader is guided through the process of selecting measures and arriving at an accurate AD/HD diagnosis. The text also reviews the process of translating assessment data into treatment recommendations, giving feedback to children and families, and evaluating treatment effectiveness At some point in their careers, most child health-care professionals and educators hear comments like these, uttered by parents who are frustrated by an inability to control their child's behavior.