BAAD rating scale for ADD

BROWN ATTENTION-ACTIVATION DISORDER (BAAD) SCALE

Found this on Dr-Bob message board. rating scale is from Dr. Thomas E. Brown, who has a site at drthomasebrown.com

BROWN ATTENTION-ACTIVATION DISORDER (BAAD) SCALE

(Note: in this report the term ADD-H is used to signify "Attention Deficit Disorder WITHOUT Hyperactivity")

The AAD (Attention Activation Disorder) construct includes problems in the following areas:

Activating and organizing to work
Sustaining attention and concentration
Sustaining energy and effort
Irritability, depressed mood, rejection sensitivity Activating recall of aims and learned information

"Bright children and adolescents who suffer from attention deficit disorder are at a special risk of having their ADD problems go unrecognized and untreated. Within a pattern of under-achievement, their natural intellectual abilities produce intermittent successes which can mask ADD problems, especially if the person is not hyperactive. This study involved a population of high-IQ children, adolescents, and adults who were underachieving and had symptoms of ADD-H.

Research by Lahey et al. (1988) has shown that Attention Deficit Disorder is not unidimensional and that a subgroup of ADD patients exhibits a pattern of inattention and sluggish tempo WITHOUT hyperactivity. Barkley (1990) has demonstrated that this subgroup also shows less aggression, impulsivity, and overactivity at home and at school, and more of a problem with memory, perceptual-motor speed, and central processing speed. Barkley has suggested that the symptoms of ADD-H are sufficiently different from those of ADHD to warrant considering these as two separate and unique disorders, rather than as subtypes of a single attention disturbance."

ACTIVATING AND ORGANIZING TO WORK

- Has difficulty getting started on tasks; e.g., homework,
reports.
- Feels overwhelmed; e.g., "No way I can do this now" by tasks
which should be managable.
- When first presented with many things to do, has difficulty
deciding which to do first and then getting started.
- Procrastinates excessively; keeps putting things off.
- Slow to react or get started; sluggish, slow moving, doesn't
just jump into things.
- Excessively perfectionist; has to get things "just so." - Sleeps very soundly; hard to wake up in the morning.
- Appears apathetic or unmotivated.
- Misunderstands directions for assignments or tasks.

SUSTAINING ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION

- When trying to pay attention to someone, e.g., class or
conversation, mind drifts off and briefly loses focus.
- Involuntary "spacing out" occurs intermittently when reading
or listening.
- Easily sidetracked; disrupts a task in progress and switches
to doing something else without any reason.
- When reading, loses track of what has just been read, so needs
to read it again.
- Easily loses track of the main point in reading books,
magazines, and newspapers.
- Gets lost in daydreaming, preoccupied with own thoughts.
- Easily distracted from a task by background noise or activities;
needs to check out whatever else is going on.
- Stares into space; seems "out of it." - Does not appear to be listening even when it is important
to do so.

SUSTAINING ENERGY AND EFFORT

- Feels sleepy or fatigued, even after having had adequate sleep.
- Unable to complete assignments or tests in allotted time; needs
extra time to finish adequately.
- Criticized by others as being "lazy." - Inconsistent quality of work; performance quite variable; e.g.,
high grades mixed with low grades for no apparent reason.
- Criticized by others for "not working up to potential." - Energy tends to fade quickly; "runs out of steam." - Needs to be reminded by others; e.g, teachers, to get started or
to keep working on assigned tasks.
- Starts tasks; e.g., homework assignments, chores, etc., but
doesn't finish them completely.

IRRITABILITY, DEPRESSED MOOD, REJECTION SENSITIVITY

- Easily irritated
- Sensitive to criticism from others. Feels it deeply or for a
long time, or gets overly defensive.
- Usually "laid back" in dealing with others but has outbursts
of intense anger.
- Has difficulty expressing anger appropriately to others.
- Mood is discouraged, depressed, "down." - Tends to be a loner among peers; keeps to self socially.
- Appears apathetic or unmotivated.

ACTIVATING RECALL OF AIMS AND LEARNED INFORMATION

- Information learned well on one day cannot be recalled easily
when it is wanted; e.g., knows material well on night before
test, but cannot recall it adequately for the next day.
- "Freezes" when taking tests or exams; for a while is unable to
get organized and begin.
- Forgets things which were intended to be done; e.g., turn off
appliances, return phone calls, keep appointments, do
assignments, etc.
- Has difficulty memorizing; e.g., vocabulary, math facts,
names, dates, etc.

-------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Yale University
P.O. Box 6694
Hamden, CT 06517