Do you find that it’s hard to focus, sometimes even on things that you’re interested in? Or that you’re constantly fidgeting, moving around, rocking in chairs, or needing music or background distractions? Have you ever wondered why it’s harder for you to complete tasks or stay on-topic compared to others? Do you remember there being a noticeable shift between your ability to participate in school when you were younger versus as you got older? Is there a certain point in your life so far where you realized you were putting in much more brain effort than others to do the same thing? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then it’s likely you’ve wondered about attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (more commonly called ADHD) before. ADHD is quite common in our society and people are starting to learn more about how it has three different types.

ADHD is the formal clinical term for a series of attention, activity/behavioral, and social-emotional symptoms. ADHD has been categorized into three presentations: predominantly hyperactive, predominantly inattentive, and combined type.

Predominantly hyperactive individuals tend to have a significant number of symptoms related to their activity level. This may include frequent fidgeting, feeling ‘on the go’ most of the day, trouble thinking or slowing down, trouble making decisions, impulsiveness, trouble sleeping, and talking over others or interrupting unintentionally.

Predominantly inattentive individuals tend to have a significant number of symptoms related to their ability to focus. This may include being easily distracted, forgetfulness, trouble concentrating, losing track of belongings (even important ones), frequently changing routines, and daydreaming or zoning out.

It is important to note that both predominantly hyperactive and predominantly inattentive individuals can also have symptoms related to the other (for example, a hyperactive person can also be distractible at times) but testing helps to distinguish between whether an individual’s symptoms are better explained by something else (such as anxiety, depression, trauma, medical problems, or stress) and if they meet clinical criteria for a diagnosis.

Testing for ADHD can take about 3 to 5 hours for adults and 3 to 4 hours for children.

The process starts with an intake interview where we will talk more about your childhood, school years, work years (if at that age), friendships, relationships, and general life experiences to learn more about what makes you who you are. The focus of the intake is on when you first noticed symptoms related to ADHD, how these symptoms manifest in day-to-day life, and examples of how these symptoms have impacted your functioning and well-being.

Then, we will schedule a handful of testing appointments to allow you to complete tests that identify how your brain works and the cognitive and social-emotional factors that impact your day-to-day life. Each testing appointment is usually between 1 to 2 hours, and the assessor is with you the entire time to answer any questions you may have.

The first testing appointment is usually very interactive, with the assessor directly asking you standardized questions and guiding you through a series of tasks. Additional testing appointments typically include self-report questionnaires to understand your perspective on any challenges or traits you may have, as well as executive functioning standardized measures to ensure that any symptoms that have similar features as ADHD (such as anxiety, depression, trauma, medical issues, etc.) are captured if present.

After all testing is completed, it takes about 1 to 2 weeks for your assessor to write a formal report explaining all of the findings. This report is then reviewed with you to answer any questions you may have and to provide guidance about next steps.

There is also a post-evaluation follow-up meeting that occurs about a month after your report is reviewed with you just in case you have any additional questions or want to share any feedback about your testing experience!

The goal in providing an ADHD evaluation is to help you understand yourself better and to give structured, focused feedback on how to integrate any findings into your identity. Many of our clients tend to want to start individual therapy or executive functioning coaching after their assessment, and this is always something that can be talked about once the testing process has ended. Integrating test findings into therapy is a fantastic way to feel better understood. Having an ADHD evaluation done before starting treatment also allows the core parts of your life to be summarized in report form to any professionals you choose to work with going forward.

At Blossoming Minds Psychological Services PC, we strive to provide neuroaffirmative, validating evaluations that help individuals to feel seen, heard, respected, and believed.