New Non-Invasive Tool To Help Diagnose ADHD and Evaluate Treatment Options

The Portrait Health Centers for the Healing Arts in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a multi-specialty evaluation center specializing in ADHD and learning disabilities announced today the availability of a new ADHD diagnostic and assessment tool. With this new resource, Portrait Health Centers can aid physicians and parents in determining the appropriateness of an ADHD diagnosis and quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of drug treatment.

Continuous Performance Testing (CPT) is a specialized interactive computer program used to assess attention, concentration, and impulsivity. Following each 30-minute test, a preliminary score is immediately generated, determining the presence and severity of inattentiveness and impulsivity. Dr. Jack Maggiore, Chief Healthcare Officer of Portrait Health Centers explains, “Prior to the availability of CPT, clinicians relied solely upon behavior rating scales and subjective observations to assist in the diagnosis of ADHD. Portrait Health Centers uses the CPT system with the most research supporting its effectiveness.”

When ADHD-like symptoms are evident, the use of CPT is a quick, non-invasive, effective, and reliable way to establish a patient’s “baseline”. After this, CPT can be used to test medication selections and support titration of dosing. Dr. Jack Maggiore, Chief Healthcare Officer of Portrait Health states, “Using CPT, Portrait Health Centers can provide scientific data—much like a clinical laboratory—to help physicians determine the impact of medication and dose on each patient. This individualized focus adds a critical measure of quality, helping to minimize the unpleasant side effects experienced by many patients taking ADHD medications.”

Since there is no “practice effect” where a user gets a better score just from the experience, patients can do CPT several times to measure the impact of different dosages and medications. Beyond introducing an extra measure of quality to physicians’ diagnoses and treatment, CPT can help reassure patients (and parents) that their current prescription is both appropriate and effective.

The latest studies from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that 10% of all U.S. children age 4 to 17 have ADHD. This means that ADHD now touches 1 in 4 families. The University of Notre Dame recently reported that of the nearly 3 million children being treated for ADHD, more than 40% of these children are taking prescribed stimulant drugs unnecessarily due to incorrect diagnosis. Portrait Health’s scientific research shows that more than 50 other disorders present similar symptoms to ADHD.

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