Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Learning Disability (LD) are common syndromes that can result in a variety of academic, social and behavioral problems. These problems begin in childhood and continue into the teenage years and adulthood.  Children with such attentional challenges have difficulty working up to their academic potential and have interpersonal challenges related to lack of follow through, impulsivity, distractibility, or forgetfulness.

Inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity are frequently observed in attentional disorder. Symptoms can include the following:

--challenges following through with a and completing school work, chores, or work responsibilities
--difficulties organizing themselves, tasks, paperwork and materials
--omission of attention to details and the making of careless mistakes
--easy distractibility, forgetfulness, loses things necessary for anxieties
--blurts out statement/answers and interrupts others
--is restless/fidgety or acts driven by a motor
--has difficulty carrying-out rote, three-step directions

The media has over-simplified problems associated with attentional challenges. Sometimes, false expectations are set, as well as misdiagnosis or treatment failure.

In order to assess for attentional challenges, a neuropsychological evaluation is conducted that includes a history of the person, structured questionnaires, and neuropsychological testing that focuses on assessing many different components of attention, concentration and learning, including sustained attention, impulsivity, problem-solving strategies, planning, organization, encoding of rote input, and the ability to shift strategies.

A variety of different types of tests and tasks can be employed in neuropsychoogical assessment. Diagnostic interpretations emerge from an understanding of relationships between test performances or from a pattern that emerges.  Therefore, knowing the naming and descriptions of any single tests can be misleading.  Yet, for people who prefer to learn more about possible tests that are used, the following list if available:

_The Wechsler intelligence tests
--Wisconsin Card Sort test
--Tower of London test – 2
-NEPSY-  A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment
--California Verbal Learning Test
--Continuous Performance and Distractibility Tasks
--Delis-Kaplan Executive Functioning Battery
--Wechsler Memory Scale
--Trailmaking Tests
---Auditory Consonant Trigrams
--Rey Complex Figure Test

Attentional challenges rarely appear the same in two different individuals.  Personality features come into play, as well as fortitude, perseverance, emotional functioning and self-concept.  Therefore, in undertaking any testing, the whole individual needs to be attended to.