ADD & ADHD
For Children and Adolescents
Treatment
Parents seek treatment at Bryn Mawr Psychological Associates for ADHD behaviors at home, school, and in the community. All of our therapists are experienced in effective behavioral, parenting, and social learning interventions to improve the child’s daily functioning across these settings.
Many parents who see psychologists are concerned about treating their children with medication before trying other options and wish to try behavioral interventions first. However, when indicated we will make recommendations for consultation with child psychiatrists or pediatricians in the area to assist with understanding of the pros and cons of medications for ADHD.
Assessment / Diagnosis
Parents seek our expertise in determining if their child’s behavioral difficulties are be symptomatic of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADHD). We follow the guidelines of the American Academy of Pediatrics for appropriate assessment and diagnosis of ADHD.
A typical assessment entails:
1. Initial meeting with parents to gather present concerns, careful behavioral history, school issues, and family mental health history.
2. Standardized behavior checklists completed by parents that provide normative data of their child compared with typical children of the same age.
3. Observation of the child at school if appropriate.
4. Interview of teacher and gathering of teacher behavior checklists.
5. Review of records: report cards, teacher comments, and prior reports.
6. Interview of child.
7. Feedback meeting with parents that includes discussion of assessment results and specific recommendations. If indicated, recommendations may include empirically based behavioral/parenting strategies to assist with home and school behavior, referral to local child psychiatrists for medication consult and second opinion (if desired by the parent), books for adults and children, support groups, etc.
If indicated:
8. Psychologist participation in a school planning meeting to assist with IEP/504/teacher interventions.
9. Brief report or letter.
Comprehensive Psychoeducational Evaluation
Some children and adolescents are in need of a more comprehensive evaluation for ADHD because of additional challenges of academic issues, executive functioning problems, anxiety, depressed mood, and family stress. Click here for information about Comprehensive Psychoeducational Testing.
For Adults
Treatment
It is not uncommon for adults with ADD/ADHD to struggle with some of the following: Emotional regulation, organizational skills, impulsive behavior, procrastination, forgetfulness, low self-esteem, and sometimes substance use problems. These challenges frequently have an adverse impact on personal relationships at home and performance issues in the workplace and at college. Several of our psychologists provide therapy for adults seeking help with these concerns.
Assessment / Diagnosis
Requests for brief Adult ADHD evaluations come from adults of all ages, their parent or spouse, or their physician. Sometimes there is a desire/curiosity to see if the diagnosis fits. At other times an assessment is requested to help determine if the criteria for diagnosis is met so that the client might pursue accommodations or a medication evaluation with their physician.
This evaluation generally consists of completion of standardized rating forms of ADHD and Executive Functioning symptoms, interview of the client, gathering data from a family member if indicated, and gathering data about symptoms and functioning in childhood. Sometimes a letter confirming the results for the physician is requested.
Click here for additional information about Adult ADHD evaluations.