ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Search filter: name the criterion that narrows your results
A search filter is a criterion used to narrow a set of results. In our example, the people searching decide which entries to keep considering and record why. This is an information-finding exercise, not a description of the controls, completeness, or ranking of a particular search product.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
The search query names what you are looking for: perhaps “community drawing session.” A filter narrows the resulting set using a chosen characteristic, such as a day or location. Saving a promising destination for later is another step, not the filter itself.
Worked example: choosing an activity together
A fictional grandparent and child collect six activity notices from a community bulletin. They are looking for a drawing activity they could attend together. Instead of beginning with a device, they put the notices on the table and make a small comparison sheet.
The grandparent can offer transport on Sunday. The child wants an indoor activity. They first mark which notices explicitly say Sunday. Then they mark whether the remaining notices describe an indoor location. One notice does not state a day; another says the room will be announced later. Those details remain unknown rather than being filled in from a guess.
They have not yet chosen an activity or confirmed that a place is available. The shortened list is just the set they will investigate next. If they use an online search instead, they would check whether its actual controls represent the criteria they mean; this page supplies no product instructions.
Keep a filter note
What we are trying to find:
Where this set of results came from:
Words or topic used in the initial search:
First criterion and why it matters:
Second criterion, if needed:
Entry / keep considering / set aside / unknown:
What information supports each decision:
What still needs checking with the responsible source:
Criterion we could relax, and who can decide:
For the paper example, an entry can read “Sunday sketch session / unknown indoor location / ask organizer.” Keeping “unknown” distinct from “does not fit” avoids inventing a fact about that notice. It also leaves the question visible for the person doing the next check.
If nothing remains
Return to the chosen criteria before concluding that no suitable activity exists. Perhaps Sunday transport is fixed but an indoor location is only a preference. Discuss changing one criterion and review the notices again. Alternatively, keep both criteria and leave the plan unsettled.
Do not quietly remove the child's preference just to produce an answer. The grandparent can explain the transport constraint; the child can explain which parts of the activity matter to them. Neither needs to justify every personal detail behind a preference.
Know what the result does not establish
A filtered list is not proof that every relevant option was included in the starting material. Nor does it confirm current availability, suitability, cost, or access arrangements. Check the particular facts needed for the eventual decision. Our sheet records a search process, not an endorsement of an activity or a test of someone's attention.
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Found a factual error or something unclear? Use the contact route on our Trust page. Read our research method for the evidence approach.