Targeted Testing Press Release
For_Immediate_Release
Targeted Testing Releases a Promising, New Evidence-Based Assessment Software for Pediatric ADHD Diagnosis
The Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener, or PADDS, is a powerful new evidence-based Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessment software program used for testing attention and executive function disorders in children ages 6 through 12.
Recent developments in ADHD research and assessment have prompted a move toward evidence-based assessment practices among mental health professionals. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Institutes of Health have indicated the need for standardized evidence-based assessment procedures with solid clinical and psychometric properties, that can be applied in primary care and traditional settings.
The PADDS program is specifically designed to address this need and is easily administered in schools and other clinical settings. The PADDS is a suite of computer administered neuropsychological tests of attention and executive functioning that more accurately identify ADHD in school-aged children. This is accomplished by using an updated view of ADHD symptoms and causes, combined with powerful new objective measures of executive functioning, and an actuarial scoring process that allows each individual piece of evidence to add to or detract from a probability of diagnosis in an effective manner.
Further, best practices dictate that high-stakes decisions including clinical diagnosis should incorporate multiple sources of information to better support diagnostic decisions. Additionally, rapidly increasing numbers of mental health professionals are currently using, or being trained in the use of, these evidence-based assessment methods. The goal is to reduce both over identification and under identification of ADHD, and thus help establish better-informed assessment outcomes.
"Pediatric Attention Disorders Diagnostic Screener (PADDS) is an innovative, highly reliable and valid screening instrument for children at risk for and with attention disorders. PADDS includes three brief and highly engaging target subtests that measure important aspects of executive functioning. I applaud the authors for developing this highly sensitive and valuable instrument!"
Linda A. Reddy, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Rutgers University
Director, Child ADHD and ADHD-Related Disorders Clinic
The Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Piscataway, NJ
Although ADHD is one of the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders, its variable nature has created difficulties for clinicians regarding the issue of diagnosis. Previous assessment theories were centered on attention and concentration, which appear to moderately correlate with DSM-IV classification. However, by including aspects of modern
research such as Barkley's model of behavioral inhibition, PADDS' Target Tests of Executive Functioning tap into the underlying processes of executive functioning, which correlate more strongly with reported classroom performance and ADHD diagnosis.
PADDS is designed for use by Pediatricians, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and other qualified mental health professionals. It is available directly from Targeted Testing and other major psychological test publishers.
Targeted Testing Inc., founded by Dr. Thomas K. Pedigo Ed.D. and Kenneth L. Pedigo, is currently developing and researching several new lines of computer administered and evidence-based assessments systems to be used in screening psychological disorders. Their primary developmental approach consists of two main areas of focus. The first relates to integrating an updated construct of the disorders and the specific criteria, while the second addresses the question of how to enhance diagnostic accuracy in an efficient manner.
Targeted Testing Inc. is a member of the Association of Test Publishers.
For more information about the PADDS, please contact:
Kenneth L. Pedigo
Director: Program Development, Targeted Testing, Inc.
Phone: (877) 425-1093
FAX: (863) 763-8216
E-mail: ken@targettest.com
Web: www.targettest.com
