Testing & Diagnostics
The diagnostic process at our office involves several steps.
The first appointment is a clinical interview. This interview could last up to 90 minutes (but can be as short as 60). The interview covers educational, psychological, work, and medical history, along with several other topics that help us determine if ADHD is plausible. If it is agreed that ADHD could be affecting capabilities, then a testing session is set up.
We use two forms of testing. Objective measurement is key. The difference between objective and subjective measurement is that objective is data driven.
The first test is the T.O.V.A.® (Test of Variables of Attention).
For more information on this testing, check out https://www.tovatest.com/
The second test is the Brief IQ Test.
With this, we don’t get an actual IQ score (which is why it's brief and not full). Instead, we use it to get a better understanding of how a person performs under pressure, among other factors, which we discuss during the process.
The third session is the actual diagnostic session.
This is when we will go over all the information attained from the testing and clinical interview to determine the diagnosis and the best course of treatment. Humans don't just pop out of textbooks, which means that there are complications and nuances with each patient and treatment recommendations that can extend beyond a medication intervention. These include treatment for depression, anxiety, or trauma, along with help learning skill sets to reduce symptoms of ADHD (which help anyone with or without ADHD perform better).
For children, we have teachers fill out an open-ended form that was created in-house. This form helps us get an understanding of how a child is doing in the classroom and lets us see what the teacher sees.
Finally, in the last session, we go over everything we’ve learned from the interview and the testing. We merge all of this together to get a good idea of the best way forward, even if the person doesn't meet the diagnosis of ADHD. This last session gives us the chance to talk more about the diagnosis, along with discussing a plan including behavioral steps to reduce the symptoms.
Our specialty is testing those ages 15 and up. We can test younger, but our comfort and competency range is 15 and older. For contacts for those who test for ages under 15 check out the resources below:
ADHD should be easy to diagnose, right? Hard time paying attention? Some procrastination? Not getting things done?
WRONG.
We’ve been diagnosing and treating ADHD in the greater Cincinnati area for more than two decades. In those years, we've learned a lot.
Every single diagnostic description of ADHD could be something else. Sometimes people procrastinate because they don't like doing boring things, like reading an assignment. Some people don't sit still while watching a movie or TV show. Some people have anxiety. Some people have depression. Some people can have anxiety, depression, and ADHD!
So how exactly is ADHD diagnosed? Truth be told, there is no one standard way. And there isn't just one test for ADHD.
Back in the (not so good) old days, you could go to your doctor and fill out some forms that were often provided by pharmaceutical companies that offered (surprise!) ADHD medications, And if you answered with "very often" on all the questions, then...voila! You're ADHD positive.
Fortunately, things have changed. Some ADHD diagnostic centers have their clientele take testing throughout the day which can last for more than four hours. But unfortunately, some practices still use those inaccurate questionnaires in place of an actual diagnostic process. Don't let that happen to you or a family member!
Since we've been doing this work, our referral sources have grown exponentially. A number of primary care doctors, psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists, and fellow therapists in the greater-Cincinnati area have been referring their clients and patients to us for ADHD testing. Once their clients and patients go through my process, these professionals are better able do their jobs, whether that's prescribing, counseling and/or coaching.
As we tell everyone who cares to listen, ADHD our my jam. Email us with any questions you may have about ADHD or anything mental health-related!