What are the benefits of getting a thorough ADHD evaluation for my child?

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• Obtain an accurate diagnosis

  • ADHD symptoms can mimic or co-exist with other disorders. A thorough and systematic ADHD evaluation is the best way to get an accurate diagnosis for your child​

• Receive recommendations specifically tailored to your child

  • Our ADHD Evaluations include highly personalized, actionable recommendations that can be implemented at home and at school to improve the child's quality of life and decrease symptoms

• Gain a nuanced understanding of your child's strengths and areas of concern

  • Develop a deep understanding of exactly which skills your child is struggling with and the particular strengths that can be leveraged to overcome areas of difficulty ​​

• Provide clarity and relief to the child

  • If appropriate, the evaluator can explain to children/teens why they are struggling and explain how different supports and interventions can help. This is often a relief for kids who are feeling hopeless and frustrated with areas they continually struggle in

• Utilize findings to develop the best treatment plan for your child

  • Evaluation results provide invaluable, detailed information for the development of the most powerful and effective treatment plans with an ADHD therapist and for Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) at school ​(many times, the evaluator can advocate for your child to get accommodations based on the evaluation results)

What does an ADHD evaluation at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy entail?

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• The ADHD assessment specialists at the Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy utilize a systemic and in-depth approach to accurately diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

• We utilize a multi-faceted approach to gather data from multiple sources and multiple settings to ensure that the diagnosis (ADHD or otherwise) is reliable

• Each assessment is tailored to the specific child, but a typical assessment would include: 

  1. Gold-standard assessments administered to multiple caregivers, current and former teachers, and the child​

  2. Repeated live observations of the child in the school settings (evaluator will go to the child's school and conduct observations on multiple occasions to assess the symptoms in the child's natural environment)

  3. Live observations of the child in clinic and/or home settings

  4. Clinical interviews with parent/caregivers​

  5. Clinical interviews with school counselor

  6. Clinical interviews with parent/caregivers​

  7. Clinical interviews with one or more teachers

  8. Review of report cards and standardized assessments

All of this data is integrated to develop a reliable, accurate diagnosis for your child, along with detailed recommendations for treatment and next steps. A thorough report will be provided to the parents and an in-depth feedback session will be conducted with the family.