ADHD Evaluation and Testing

Does Your Child Show Signs of ADHD?

As a parent, you want the best for your child. You need them to feel supported and safe so that they can grow and mature into wonderful, beautiful adults. And you’re concerned that your child is showing signs of ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms can be subtle until you know what to look for. If you’re concerned your child has ADHD, contact Psych Associates today to schedule an ADHD evaluation.

Why Get Your Child Tested and Evaluated for ADHD

Bring your child’s true strengths and challenges into focus
Get a correct diagnosis so you can support your child in the best way possible
Discover the severity of the symptoms
Determine how long the symptoms have been bothering your child
Create a healthy, supportive plan moving forward based on your child’s needs

ADHD Diagnosis Can Be Complicated

You may think that your child’s life will change for the worse if they have ADHD. You want to find a way to support them, but you’re afraid of how challenging raising a child with a disorder will be. And you may feel the need to find support in therapy or through a group to transition into your role as an ADHD parent. Know that you’re not alone.

Signs of Inattention in Children

Children are natural scientists. They explore, test, and break things all the time. And it’s to discover how the world works. However, you may notice that your child is less attentive than most children or that they often lose items at home, school, or other routine life locations.

Look for these signs to determine if you may want to bring your child in for ADHD evaluation and testing:

Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities (e.g., has problem remaining focused during lectures, conversations, or lengthy reading).
Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly (e.g., the mind seems elsewhere, even without any obvious distraction).
Often does not follow instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (e.g., starts tasks but quickly loses focus and is easily sidetracked).
Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities (e.g., difficulty managing sequential tasks; difficulty keeping materials and belongings in order; messy, disorganized work; has poor time management; fails to meet deadlines).
Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort (e.g., schoolwork or homework; for older adolescents and adults, preparing reports, completing forms, reviewing lengthy papers).
Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities (e.g., school materials, pencils, books, tools, wallets, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, mobile telephones).
Is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli (for older adolescents and adults, it may include unrelated thoughts).
Is often forgetful in daily activities (e.g., doing chores, running errands; for older adolescents and adults, returning calls, paying bills, keeping appointments).

Signs of Hyperactivity or Impulsivity in Children

Children love to move. They actively explore the world. Movement is a massive facilitator of exploration for them. But what happens when your child struggles with sitting still when expected to? This may be a sign that your child may have ADHD.

Here are the signs your child may be hyperactive or impulsive :

Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet or squirms in seat.
Often leaves the seat when remaining seated is expected (e.g., leaves their place in the classroom, in the office or other workplace, or in different situations that require staying in place).
Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is inappropriate. (Note: In adolescents or adults, it may be limited to feeling restless.)
Often unable to play or engage in leisure activities quietly.
Is often “on the go,” acting as if “driven by a motor” (e.g., is unable to be or uncomfortable being still for an extended time, as in restaurants, meetings; may be experienced by others as being restless or difficult to keep up with).
Often talks excessively.
Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed (e.g., completes people’s sentences; cannot wait for turn in conversation).
Often has difficulty waiting for their turn (e.g., while waiting in line).
Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations, games, or activities; may start using other people’s things without asking or receiving permission; adolescents and adults may intrude into or take over what others are doing).

ADHD Evaluation and Testing Process

5.1 million children in the US (8.8% or 1 in 11) have ADHD. People with ADHD often fail to give close attention to details or make careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or during other activities (e.g., overlooks or misses details, work is inaccurate). Their difficulty focusing and concentrating may be due to a legitimate problem in their brain development, or they may be misdiagnosed. The symptoms of ADHD may mimic symptoms of anxiety, depression, or some other learning disability. All of these issues respond to different treatments. The only way to know the causes of your or your child’s ADHD-like symptoms is through a thorough evaluation.

If you’re concerned that your child struggles with ADHD, you may want to get them evaluated and tested. The process is straightforward and straightforward. What’s important to understand is that even if your child’s pediatrician or psychiatrist has diagnosed your child with ADHD, about 40% of children struggle with associated issues. A comprehensive ADHD evaluation and testing help uncover your whole child’s experience.

Here are the general steps in an ADHD evaluation and testing process:

An in-depth interview and documentation of your child’s history, emotional and social struggles, academic performance, and medical history.
Behavioral observation of your child, either in the office or in school (when feasible).
Formal neuropsychological and cognitive testing evaluates processing speed, concentration, attention, learning, and abilities.
Academic testing to determine the impact of ADHD on learning and memory retention.
Behavioral, emotional, and social assessment.
Teacher, parent/guardian, and self-interviews and/or questionnaires.

Licensed Psychologists

Our skilled psychologists and psychometricians are highly trained and experienced in diagnosing and treating all types of ADHD. We know the differences and how to find them in you or your student. Our evaluations are comprehensive and pinpoint the little details that differ between one diagnosis and another.

When you have an ADHD evaluation from Psych Associates, you’ll know your cognitive abilities, academic achievement in every area, socio-emotional health, and ability to concentrate and persist on tasks.

All children have moments when they struggle to pay attention, sit still, follow directions, or control impulses. The concern becomes greater when these behaviors happen consistently, occur in more than one setting, and begin interfering with your child’s success at school, at home, or with friends.

If your child regularly has difficulty staying focused, completing work, remaining seated, following directions, or seems as though they are constantly “driven by a motor,” an ADHD evaluation can help determine whether ADHD or another concern may be keeping them from reaching their full potential.

ADHD can be evaluated in young children, although many behaviors associated with ADHD are also common during early childhood. This is why the child’s age, developmental level, school performance, and behavior across different settings all need to be considered.

As children move through elementary school, expectations for attention, organization, impulse control, and independent work increase. If your child is having significantly more difficulty than other children their age or their symptoms are interfering with learning, relationships, or daily life, it may be appropriate to have them evaluated.

Many psychological and learning concerns can look similar on the surface. Difficulty concentrating, for example, can be associated with ADHD, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, sleep problems, or other conditions.

A carefully designed psychological evaluation looks at the pattern of your child’s strengths and difficulties rather than relying on a single test or symptom. We combine clinical interviews, standardized testing, behavioral questionnaires, developmental history, school information, and other relevant data to understand what is causing the difficulties and how severe they are.

This allows us to determine whether ADHD is the best explanation for the symptoms or whether another condition is contributing.

The first step is scheduling the appointment and completing intake paperwork. The information you provide helps us understand what concerns you are seeing, where they are occurring, and how they are affecting your child and family.

We then conduct a clinical interview, usually lasting about 60–90 minutes. During that appointment, we discuss your child’s developmental, medical, educational, behavioral, and family history and determine which tests will best answer the questions you have about your child.

The next step is psychological testing. Depending on your child’s needs and the questions we are trying to answer, testing may take approximately four to five hours. The exact amount of time varies based on the tests selected, your child’s age, and how they respond during testing.

After testing is completed, we score and interpret the results, integrate the information from the different parts of the evaluation, and prepare a comprehensive written report.

Once the report is complete, we provide it to you for review and schedule a feedback appointment. During that meeting, we explain the test results, discuss our conclusions, answer your questions, and review recommendations and treatment options in detail.

Absolutely. One of the important benefits of a comprehensive evaluation is that it can do more than simply determine whether your child has ADHD.

If your child needs additional support at school, the evaluation can document the specific areas in which they are struggling and provide recommendations for interventions, accommodations, and other supports that may help.

Depending on your child’s individual needs, those recommendations may also help parents and schools determine whether support through a Section 504 Plan, an Individualized Education Program (IEP), or other school-based interventions should be considered.