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Diva 5

The DIVA 5 Adult ADHD Assessment is a comprehensive tool used to diagnose ADHD in adults. It includes a clinical interview, self-report questionnaires, and collateral information from family members or close friends. The assessment can help identify symptoms of ADHD and provide recommendations for treatment.

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The DIVA-5 Diagnostic Interview for Adult ADHD asks about the chronicity of symptoms in adulthood and childhood. For a symptom to be considered ADHD, it must have a chronic, trait-like course and not be episodic. Symptoms in adulthood must have been present for at least six months. 

The DIVA-5 is based on the DSM-5 criteria for ADHD and is available in many languages. It asks about the core symptoms of ADHD required for a DSM-5 diagnosis. The DIVA-5 does not ask about other conditions that may be present alongside ADHD. 

Young Diva 5

The Young DIVA-5 is a version of the DIVA-5 ADHD assessment tool that's used for children aged 5–17. The DIVA-5 is a comprehensive assessment that can be used for children, adolescents, and adults. 

The DIVA-5 assessment asks about the presence of ADHD symptoms, how long they've been present, and any significant impairments they've caused. The assessment uses a list of examples of current and past behavior to evaluate each of the 18 symptom criteria for ADHD. 

If an assessment suggests an ADHD diagnosis, a referral to a psychiatrist is needed for treatment. It's important to note that the DIVA-5 only asks about the core ADHD symptoms, and doesn't ask about other conditions that may be present alongside ADHD

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is neurodevelopmental disorder that affects both children and adults.

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Some common symptoms of ADHD or ADD symptoms in adults and children typically include:

  1. Short attention span, especially for non-preferred tasks

  2. Hyperactivity, which may be physical, verbal, and/or emotional

  3. Impulsivity, which may manifest as recklessness

  4. Fidgeting or restlessness

  5. Disorganization and difficulty prioritizing tasks

  6. Poor time management and time blindness

  7. Frequent mood swings and emotional dysregulation

  8. Forgetfulness and poor working memory

  9. Trouble multitasking and executive dysfunction

  10. Inability to control anger or frustration

  11. Trouble completing tasks and frequent procrastination

  12. Distractibillity

  13. Difficulty awaiting turn

These symptoms can impact daily life and may require treatment such as medication, therapy, or lifestyle changes. 

Sources of information 

Websites

● Information and advice about ADHD, including books and resources such as ADHD and girls can be accessed on the ADDISS website. 

http://www.addiss.co.uk/ 

● ADDitude magazine. This contains features and service articles on ADHD (app also available). 

www.additudemag.com 

● The ADHD Foundation provide information and resources to support young people and families in understanding and managing ADHD. https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/ 

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Books

● The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children by Ross W. Greene is a useful book for learning how to work collaboratively to solve problems with your child. 

● The Whole-Brain Child (Tina Bryson and Dan Siegal) is another good book about helping your child to learn to manage their emotions. 

● “Can I Tell you About ADHD?” by Susan Yarney. An introduction for young people, as well as parents, friends, teachers. 

● “All dogs have ADHD” by Kathy Hoopmann is a refreshing approach to understanding ADHD, combining humour with understanding to reflect the joys and challenges of raising a child who is different. 

● “Understanding ADHD: a parent's guide to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children” by Dr Christopher Green and Dr Kit Chee will help to explain the causes and effects of ADHD and provides some practical strategies to help cope with common challenges.

● “The Trouble with Dragons: What a dragon can teach us about ADHD”. This is a multimedia campaign by Shire, featuring a boy and a dragon. It was developed from a book, into an app, with mini games to help children understand ADHD. 

● Information and advice about ADHD, including books and resources can be accessed on the ADDISS website. http://www.addiss.co.uk/ 

● Children and young people may also like to read about ADHD for themselves, and a good place to start is the short book Can I Tell you About ADHD? by Susan Yarney. 

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Support for families and carers 

Parents/carers are encouraged to seek extra support for themselves if appropriate. Looking after yourself is key to supporting your child with ADHD - as “you can’t pour from an empty cup!” 

It will help to have clear, appropriate, and consistent rules and boundaries at home to help manage ADHD behaviours. Creating routines and structured time at home is also beneficial for young people with ADHD. 

Parenting programmes can be helpful for some families. This does not imply “bad parenting”, but rather aims to optimise parenting skills to meet the above-average needs of children with ADHD. “Normal parenting” does not usually work for this group of young people. 

It is important for other professionals working with your family to be made aware of an ADHD diagnosis, so the most appropriate treatment and support can be provided.

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Involving schools 

● We recommend that parents discuss the outcome of the assessment with school, along with the recommendations. It will be important for school to have a good understanding of the difficulties associated with ADHD, in order to offer targeted support and ongoing skills teaching. 

Advice for schools 

● It is important to recognise how tiring it is for a young person with ADHD to maintain concentration and cope in the school environment, and the impact this has on ADHD symptoms and behaviours. All staff should be made aware of the child's diagnosis, and ways to manage the behaviour to ensure consistency. 

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