Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an executive function disorder. Many people believe they know a lot about it, but the way ADHD is portrayed in media or by influencers isn’t always accurate. This is often because ADHD has a variety of effects that impact people differently. ADHD assessment helps people understand not just whether they have ADHD but how it effects them as well as providing access to resources that improve the adverse effects of ADHD on daily life. On this page, you can learn more about what ADHD is and what to expect from ADHD assessment.
Media doesn’t always tell us the truth about certain diagnoses, including ADHD. We hear things like: ADHD is just an excuse to medicate your kids or ADHD is how people get away with poor behavior. Luckily, the world is starting to better understand ADHD and treat this condition more seriously. ADHD is not an excuse for acting however you want or getting medications to keep kids calm. ADHD is an executive function disorder that causes people to struggle with inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and a variety of other concerns. While many people think of ADHD as an excuse for being hyper or not paying attention, it has real negative consequences that make life more challenging from difficulty paying attention in academic settings to struggling to prioritize tasks at work. Assessment helps people understand and address these adverse effects.
While ADHD assessment can give you an accurate diagnosis, unless you truly believe there’s a reason to seek out testing, you may never find out. If you’re still on the fence, take a few moments to consider your answers to the following questions:
- Do you miss details when completing tasks?
- Is it difficult to concentrate, especially for extended periods or when you’re not interested in a subject?
- Are you always misplacing things?
- Do you forget to complete tasks or meet obligations?
- Are you often restless?
- Is it difficult to keep things organized?
- Are you impatient?
- Do you engage in risky behaviors?
- Are you notorious for interrupting people?
-Do you have frequent mood swings?
Answering yes to one of these questions doesn’t necessarily mean you have ADHD, but if you answered yes to several of them, it may be time to consider ADHD assessment.
Assessment is not about ticking a box that says yes you have ADHD or no you don’t. Instead, your psychologist provides a comprehensive testing battery that gives us an answer to your referral questions, but it also helps us understand the individual’s specific ADHD symptoms, the severity of daily impact, and what resources are available to help individuals manage the symptoms of ADHD.
You can expect the following to happen during ADHD assessment:
- Intake : during your intake session, your psychologist will ask a range of questions, to better understand your health history and reasons for seeking assessment.
- Testing battery : the psychologist uses the information from the intake session to put together a personalized testing battery that will provide necessary information about your aptitude, skills, intelligence, concentration, and other variables that indicate ADHD diagnosis. These tests are administered over the course of one or more assessment sessions.
- Results : following testing, the psychologist compiles the results into a report that’s provided for your information. You’ll schedule a follow-up appointment to review the results of ADHD testing.
It can be a big decision to take the step to undergo assessment. If you’re not sure that ADHD is right for you or want to learn more, we hope you’ll schedule a discovery call. This introductory chat gives you the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about ADHD testing. From there, we’ll schedule an intake session and a few testing sessions.
