ADHD Evaluation Process

Here is the process that we believe makes for a good diagnostic evaluation to see if someone has ADHD or not:

PARENT INTERVIEW

When you get an evaluation for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, there should be a good parent interview. It's absolutely essential that somebody sits down with the parents and spends 45 minutes to an hour with them.

In this interview the psychologist or therapist needs to find out what's going on now, why did the parents pick up the phone and call now instead of last week, and so on. Was there a recent trigger event? A recent trauma? A recent loss? Or is there a problem at school, or a threat from the teacher? What is happening that you had to call for help?

DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY

Diagnosing ADHD | the Work-Up

Here are the things that we recommend if you have a child that ought to be looked at for possible Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Read more of the article...

Diagnosis of ADD ADHD | Overview

Everyone in a private practice setting who works with ADHD children or adults is going to have their own opinion on how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder should be diagnosed.

Some clinics take the perspective that "more is good," and will recommend a large battery of tests, often costing many thousands of dollars. Read more of the article...