Comprehensive ADHD Evaluation
What we will do is provide an assessment of the individual in regards to all aspects of cognitive, behavioral, emotional and family functioning, along with academic achievement as needed. Please remember that ADHD affects not just children but adults as well.
Attention and distractibility are just part of the overall cognitive system that includes language, memory, reasoning, visual-spatial and visual-motor abilities, as well as sensory abilities. Emotional issues can sometimes resemble ADHD symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, family tension and bipolar disorder. In addition, other conditions and disorders need to be addressed and assessments made, including the possible presence of autism spectrum disorder or a developmental disorder of some kind. Academic problems that may present as ADHD include test anxiety, math dysfunction and dyslexia. Here at Florida Neuropsychology Associates , we don’t give an “ADHD Test Battery”; rather, we will perform a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation that effectively addresses all areas.
As such, we must rule out all other areas that could impact a person’s attention and learning abilities to make sure we are treating the correct diagnosis. Other professionals may only assess attentional issues; however, we specialize in providing a more comprehensive assessment.
With ADHD, many times, there are additional symptoms and issues that are present, such as anxiety, learning disabilities, oppositional behavior, and poor self-esteem and social skills. As such, these must be addressed separately from the ADHD diagnosis.