What Self-Assessment Tools Can Be Used for ADHD?

There are various rating scales used for ADHD that can guide diagnosis and monitor the treatment progress. Among children, the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behavior Rating Scale (SWAN) can be given to the parents and teachers for their observations of the child. This is freely available online and validated in Chinese as well.^[1] Other assessment tools include the ADHD rating scale (ADHD-RS) and Conners’ rating scale. However, these rating scales may not be freely available online and can assess other aspects of the child’s behaviour like the  presence of other illnesses. Among adults, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) provides a useful screening tool.^[2]

If you’re worried that your child shows symptoms of ADHD, click here for a quick assessment!

[1] Chan, G. F., Lai, K. Y., Luk, E. S., Hung, S. F., & Leung, P. W. (2014). Clinical utility of the Chinese Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-Symptoms and Normal-Behaviors questionnaire (SWAN) when compared with DISC-IV. Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment, 10, 1533–1542. https://doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S65879

[2] Adler, L. A., Faraone, S. V., Sarocco, P., Atkins, N., & Khachatryan, A. (2019). Establishing US norms for the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-v1.1) and characterising symptom burden among adults with self-reported ADHD. International journal of clinical practice, 73(1), e13260. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.13260