Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Signs of ADHD

Here are some questions to ask yourself about your child that can be potential red flags for an ADHD diagnosis:

  • Does your child have difficulty with focus and sticking to a task?
  • Is your child easily distracted?
  • Does your child make frequent careless mistakes in their schoolwork?
  • Does your child have difficulty staying seated?
  • Does your child frequently interrupt others in conversation?
  • Do they have difficulty waiting for their turn?
  • Is your child disorganized, forgetful, and often lose personal belongings? 

What is ADD/ADHD?

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Children and adolescents with ADHD face many challenges in their daily living that go beyond these symptoms including: difficulty with their academic performance and behavior at school, difficulty with peer/sibling/parent relationships, low self esteem, substance use, risky sexual behavior, driving problems, and difficulties in occupational settings. One of the key factors to success for individuals with ADHD is the identification and treatment of this disorder.

In order to identify ADHD, a comprehensive evaluation is required to determine whether a child meets diagnostic criteria for ADHD, rule out any other possible causes, and figure out whether another co-existing condition may be present (e.g., learning disability, mood disorder, behavioral disorder).

ADHD Assessment

A comprehensive assessment involves: gathering information from multiple sources (e.g., how does a child function at home? school? extracurricular activities?), observing a child in an educational setting, a detailed assessment of the child’s developmental history, as well as a clinical assessment of a child’s cognitive, academic, social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. 

Comprehensive assessments at LEAP Psychology go further than just simply determining whether your child meets diagnostic criteria for ADHD. The assessment will pinpoint your child’s specific areas of difficulty and outline empirically supported strategies, interventions, and treatments in order to best support your child in both the classroom and home environments.

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