Child ADHD Testing In White Bear Lake, MN

Not Knowing If Your Child Has ADHD Is Stressful

As a parent, watching your child struggle with focus, impulsivity, or restlessness can be overwhelming, especially when you’re unsure of the cause. You may have tried countless strategies—reward charts, structured routines, and parenting techniques—but still find yourself puzzled by their behaviors. If you’re wondering whether your child’s challenges are just part of growing up or signs of something like ADHD, an evaluation can provide the answers and guidance you need.

Do you relate to any of the following?

If so, you’re not alone—and I’m here to help.

  • You find yourself constantly repeating directions because your child was not listening.

  • When given multiple step directions, your child only completes some of them. 

  • You are often running late because it is difficult to get your child out of the door.

  • Your child starts tasks but does not finish them. 

  • Your child acts without thinking, touches things that are not theirs, or invades the personal space of others.

  • Your child is often losing or misplacing things. 

Imagine Having ANswers That Help You Know What To Do Next

An accurate ADHD diagnosis provides a clearer understanding of your child’s unique behaviors, paving the way for effective treatments and tailored support. With the right approach, those challenging behaviors can even transform into valuable strengths—like passionate energy, creative thinking, and an impressive ability to hyper-focus on tasks that matter.

Want to Learn More?

Interested in learning more about what steps to take if you suspect your child has ADHD or what the evaluation process looks like? Check out my blog posts I THINK MY CHILD MIGHT HAVE ADHD (PART 1) - FIRST STEPS and I THINK MY CHILD MIGHT HAVE ADHD (PART 2) - ADHD EVALUATIONS.

HOW IT WORKS

What Happens During ADHD Testing?

Step 1: Intake (1 to 2 hours)

We will meet virtually so your psychologist can learn background information and current concerns. There is nothing you need to do to prepare for the intake, just come as you are! We will use the information from the intake session to develop an individualized testing plan.

Step 2: Testing (3 to 5 hours)

An in-person testing appointment will occur about 1 week after the intake. Your child will engage in a variety of tasks to help us learn more specific information about them. The testing appointment is sometimes broken into multiple days.

Step 3: Feedback (1 to 2 hours)

The feedback appointment occurs about 2 weeks after the testing appointment. You will have a copy of the evaluation report and your psycholgist will go over the results of the testing, including any potential diagnosis, discuss specific recommendations and next steps, and answer any questions you have. You will leave this appointment with clarity and confidence about what do to next.

FAQs About ADHD Testing

  • If you or your child are experiencing symptoms of inattention, disorganization, hyperactivity, or impulse control, a comprehensive ADHD evaluation is the first step toward clarity and targeting effective treatment measures. Unidentified and untreated ADHD can lead to negative outcomes such as low self-esteem, difficulty maintaining friendships, and poor school or job performance. In contrast, when those with ADHD are accurately identified through an ADHD assessment and receive appropriate treatments and supports, the negative impact of ADHD symptoms are significantly reduced. In fact, people with ADHD often have unique characteristics such as having a lot of energy, being highly creative, and possessing the ability to hyper-focus, that when appropriately harnessed, allows them to be highly effective.

  • Although medication is the most common treatment for ADHD, other treatment options, such as cognitive or behavior interventions, are also effective at mitigating the negative symptoms of ADHD and can be more appropriate than medication for some people. Research suggests that a combination of medication and behavioral treatment is most effective for most people. Every person is unique and the symptoms of ADHD impact people in different ways. ADHD often co-occurs with other psychological disorders and many psychological disorders or life events mimic the symptoms of ADHD as well. This is why a tailored comprehensive ADHD assessment is necessary to accurately diagnose ADHD in most cases and determine the underlying causes of the presenting behaviors to tailor targeted supports and treatment.

  • Attention deficit disorder or ADD was the term listed in the third edition of the DSM, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that was published in 1980. DSM-III used the terms attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity or attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity. In subsequent revisions and editions of the DSM, the terminology was changed from attention deficit disorder to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. The current DSM-5-TR lists three subtypes of ADHD: predominantly inattentive presentation, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive presentation, and combined presentation. Although ADHD is the official diagnostic term used in the United States, many professionals and others continue to use the term attention deficit disorder (ADD) when referring to the inattentive presentation.

  • There is no single test that can identify ADHD. A comprehensive ADHD evaluation is necessary in order to consider the factors that are contributing to behavior concerns and provide an accurate diagnosis. Every ADHD evaluation will vary depending on the specific needs and concerns, but typical ADHD testing for presenting symptoms of ADHD will include clinical interviews, standardized rating scales, cognitive assessments, measures of executive functioning, initial and sustained attention measures, observations, and a review of previous assessments, educational records, and medical records.

  • When the ADHD evaluation is complete, the results will be compiled into a comprehensive written report documenting the results of the ADHD assessment, diagnostic impressions, and a summary of recommendations to support functioning at home, school, work, and the community. We will go through every page of the ADHD evaluation report during the feedback session, where we will summarize key findings and answer any questions you have about the results or recommendations. With child ADHD evaluations, the report will offer insights into your child’s executive functioning, behaviors, and cognition that are a valuable resource to help you, your child's school, and other providers support your child in an affirming way to allow them to be fully and authentically who they are.