ADHD Assessments
Learn How ADHD Is Diagnosed Here...
ADHD assessments can be performed by a variety of treatment providers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatric neurologists, and licensed therapists.
While the family doctor or pediatrician is often the first professional to be alerted to possible behavioral or emotional challenges, they are generally not qualified to conduct comprehensive assessments.
While family doctors, general physicians, and general pediatricians can prescribe ADHD medications, it is not advised without first conducting a proper assessment or testing.
Often, they refer the family or individual to specialized treatment providers, such as mental health professionals.
Testing
If you suspect that you or someone you love may be suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, get an assessment from a mental health professional skilled at diagnosing ADHD. This may include a psychiatrist, psychologist, therapist, clinical social worker, neurologist, etc. For the most accurate diagnosis, make certain the treatment provider has lots of experience working with the different types of ADHD.
How Treatment Providers Use ADHD Assessments
Psychiatrists, licensed psychologists, developmental or behavioral pediatricians, neurologists, and licensed mental health therapists and counselors are usually all qualified to use ADHD scales and treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
These professionals typically utilize clinical interviews in order to gather more information. This usually includes taking a behavioral and emotional history, description of symptoms, onset of symptoms, medical history, family history, discussing past and present functioning, and any other information that may be helpful.
Behavioral inventories are often completed by those in frequent contact with the client: parents, teachers, siblings, peers, spouses, etc.
Since ADHD is diagnosed based on behavioral symptoms, gathering objective observations from different sources from different environments (home, school, work, etc.) is essential.
This enables treatment providers to obtain a baseline of behaviors across different settings. Once this information is obtained, treatment can be structured to focus on challenges the child is experiencing in specific settings.
Challenging behaviors can then be target of intervention. Often, this involves creating individual behavior plans for both school and home settings.
Treatment
Treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is often best tackled on many fronts. Treatment often includes some combination of ADHD behavior modification, ADHD medications, and ADD natural remedies.
There are many ways to treat ADHD. Often, it is a matter of finding what works best for each individual. For more information about the most effective and overview of ADHD treatment options, visit ADHD treatments.
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