Learn More About Our ADHD Evaluations and Psychoeducational Testing

ADHD Evaluations and Psychoeducational Testing

Now that the school year is well underway, questions arise about testing for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Specific Learning Disorders (in reading, writing, math, etc.). What is included in testing and what does the process look like?

ADHD Evaluations

ADHD evaluations include gathering information through testing and reports from the individual, the parents, and teachers (if possible) through rating forms to be filled out by each person and a background information form filled out by the parents. The testing process usually takes about three hours and includes an IQ test to assess cognitive functioning and specific tests to assess executive functioning. Executive functioning regulates, manages, and moderates other cognitive processes and includes such skills as attention, emotional and behavioral regulation, and impulse control. Executive functioning deficits are characteristic of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and are often present in other clinical populations.

Psychoeducational Testing

The process for testing for educational needs or Specific Learning Disorders is similar to ADHD testing, but the process includes more educational tests. A psychoeducational evaluation would include an IQ test, executive functioning measures if warranted, a comprehensive test of academic functioning, specific tests to target specific learning concerns (e.g. reading, writing, math, memory, language processing, etc.), and if needed, some measures to assess the individual’s emotional functioning. The testing process takes somewhere between 5 and 8 hours of testing that can be broken up into smaller testing sessions of 2 to 3 hours each.

For each evaluation, once the testing is complete and all of the rating forms are turned in, a report is written. The report includes a review of the testing results, a diagnosis (if applicable), and recommendations for treatment, ways to support the individual, and accommodations in school or at work. The parents and/or the individual then meet with the evaluator to review the results. This is an opportunity to go through the individual’s strengths and weaknesses and for the evaluator to explain the diagnosis and recommendations in detail.

If you have any questions about the testing process, please do not hesitate to contact us.