ADHD Screening Tool

The purpose of this solution is to support early diagnosis of ADHD and complement current ADHD diagnosis methods by offering an additional ADHD screening tool that can help identify whether a child is likely to have ADHD or not based on demographic and behavioral factors.

Background

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders in childhood, affecting between 5 and 10% of school-aged children. An estimated 8.7 million adults live with ADHD in the United States, resulting in a total societal excess cost attributable to ADHD of $122.8 billion. DHD must be recognized quickly and consistently in order for patients to obtain effective treatment; otherwise, it can have a detrimental impact on the patient’s professional performance, mental health, and relationships.

There is no cure for ADHD, but it can be treated to alleviate symptoms through a combination of medication and therapy. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has published guidelines for diagnosis and treatment for children from 4 to 18 years. The treatment varies depending on the child’s age (Mark L. Wolraich, et al., 2022) But in order for a child to receive the treatment it first my diagnosed by a medical professional. The AAP in its guidelines for diagnosing ADHD claims “ADHD goes undiagnosed in a considerable number of children and adolescents.” This causes significant harm as “lack of treatment has the risk of impaired outcomes.” They also recognize that there is a “high prevalence of ADHD and limited mental health resources.” Making addressing the whole population with appropriate treatment difficult (Mark L. Wolraich, et al., 2022) The limited mental health resource creates a need for alternate approaches to do initial filtering of ADHD. Although a formal diagnosis must be done by a medical professional, tools can be developed to guide parents and help increase the number of positive diagnoses without putting undue burden on the system.

The purpose of this solution is to support early diagnosis of ADHD and complement current ADHD diagnosis methods by offering an additional ADHD screening tool that can help identify whether a child is likely to have ADHD or not based on demographic and behavioral factor