Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Assessment
The Center for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides information so you will know what to expect in an ADHD assessment.
What to Expect
Who Will Conduct The Evaluation?
Your child will be evaluated by clinical child/pediatric psychologists who specialize in the assessment and treatment of ADHD. Advanced trainees in clinical child / pediatric psychology may also be involved in aspects of the evaluation, under the supervision of the attending psychologist.
What Is Involved In Evaluating Children and Adolescents for ADHD?
Initial Intake Procedure
When you call our office to set up your first appointment, we will send you a packet of materials. These need to be completed by you and your child's teacher before we can schedule an appointment. When your paperwork is complete, please send it back to our office with the required fee of $50.
If a psychologist, neurologist, physician or any other professional has previously evaluated your child, please send us a copy of the report either with the returned information packet or on the day of your initial appointment. If there is any other information, such as prior report cards or teacher notes that you feel would be helpful for us to better understand your child, please bring them to your initial appointment.
Diagnostic Interviews with Parents and Children
The entire diagnostic interview process takes about two to two and one-half hours. Depending on what your insurance allows and your personal preference, interviews can be scheduled back-to-back on the same day, or can be scheduled for two separate days.
The psychologist will spend the first hour with the child's parent(s) to get an in-depth understanding of the concerns you have about your child. You'll discuss your child's current functioning and early development. The second hour is spent interviewing your child to assess how well your child understand the difficulties being experienced. A few brief tests will be given. During this time, the parent will be asked to complete a computerized questionnaire designed to provide us with additional information about your child.
Feedback Appointment
After the parent and child interviews are completed, we will schedule an appointment to give you feedback on the findings of our evaluation. You are encouraged to take notes during this session. We will be glad to provide feedback to your child's physician, teacher, or other involved professionals if you request it and provide written authorization.
A Final Word...
This process may seem very detailed and time consuming, but it is necessary in order to conduct a thorough evaluation for ADHD. Depending on the results of your child's evaluation, several additional services may be recommended, including:
- Referral to your physician for medical management
- Parent training for dealing with behavior problems often exhibited by children and adolescents with ADHD
- Teacher consultations concerning behavioral and academic concerns in school and / or individual therapy to deal with issues related to coping with ADHD
