8 things that go into an ADHD evaluation for a child

Many parents and caregivers wonder how ADHD is diagnosed — and it’s easy to see why. There is no one test (medical or otherwise) that kids take for ADHD. But there is an evaluation.

An ADHD evaluation is an in-depth process. It looks at many factors, like how much a child’s symptoms are impacting school and daily life. And there are different types of specialists who can evaluate kids for ADHD.

An ADHD evaluation usually takes around three hours. That includes the initial visit, a follow-up, and filling out paperwork. (It doesn’t include any travel time to get to and from the doctor’s office.)

Here are eight things that go into a full ADHD evaluation.

1. An initial meeting with you and your child

This meeting will help to identify your child’s strengths and challenges. The evaluator will look for situations in your child’s life that might be having an impact. These situations could be happening at home, at school, or in the community.

2. Your child’s detailed health information

The evaluator will ask about your child’s health, both past and present. That includes details about any problems during the pregnancy or delivery. The evaluator might also ask about:

• Early infancy

• Developmental milestones

• Allergies

• Appetite

• Sleep patterns

• Height and weight

• Hospitalizations

• Ongoing developmental or medical problems

3. Your child’s strengths and challenges

The evaluator will look at challenges in three key areas: home, school, and social relationships. It’s important to talk about your child’s strengths, interests, and passions, too.

4. ADHD rating scales

These questionnaires are a way to collect information from you about what your child is struggling with. The evaluator will then compare the results to the behavior of other kids that age. (The evaluator might use other assessments, too.)

5. Checking how your child is doing in school

The evaluator will look at report cards and standardized testing. They’ll also want to know if your child gets tutoring or any extra support in the classroom. Your child’s teachers may be asked to fill out a rating scale, too.

6. Making sure official criteria for diagnosis are met

There are two official lists of symptoms — one for inattention and one for hyperactivity-impulsivity. People of different ages need to have a certain number of symptoms from these lists to get an ADHD diagnosis.

7. Considering challenges other than ADHD

These include learning differences or mental health issues like anxiety and depression. These challenges could exist on their own, or they may co-occur with ADHD. The evaluator you use may not be qualified to test for them. If that’s the case, you can ask for a referral to someone who is.

8. A follow-up meeting

This is to go over the results and explore possible treatments, like ADHD medication or therapy. The evaluator might even talk about changing family routines and getting support at school.

If you’re curious what the experience has been like for others, you can connect with other parents and caregivers on Understood’s free Wunder app.

And if your child was diagnosed with ADHD, but you’re not sure the evaluation was done properly, find out what to do.