Adult ADHD Assessments
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can persist into adulthood. Many adults with this condition have always lived with their symptoms, which they may just see as normal for them.
Individuals with ADHD commonly exhibit difficulties in a number of areas associated with what is termed executive functioning. Adults with ADHD commonly report many of the following difficulties:
Organizational skill problems (e.g. constantly late, poor time management, unfinished projects, difficulty with following instructions)
Difficulties at work (e.g. changed jobs frequently, fired due to lateness, forgetting appointments and/or being unprepared for meetings)
Anger control problems (e.g. argumentative behaviour with authority figures)
Money management problems (e.g. fails to do taxes, makes frequent overdrafts, runs out of money, buys things “on a whim” they can’t afford)
Problems with driving (e.g. speeding tickets, serious accidents, license revoked or, alternatively, choosing not to drive or driving too slowly in an attempt to compensate for attention problems)
A parent whose child has ADHD and who notes they have similar problems
A college/university student who requires a diminished course load, is frustrated that it is taking a long time to get through school, running out of time on tests/exams; or having problems keeping up with lecture notes
An individual who was diagnosed in childhood and is still having problems
An ADHD assessment can help you understand the challenges and then you can learn coping strategies to address areas of weakness and start taking advantage of your strengths.
Adult Learning Disability Assessments
A learning disability is a neurological condition that interferes with an individual’s ability to store, process, or produce information. Learning disabilities can affect your ability to read, write, speak, spell, compute math, reason and also affect your attention, memory, coordination, and sometimes social skills.
The impact of learning disabilities is lifelong.
The issues that made schoolwork so challenging as a child can crop up again in college/university, the workplace, in social situations, and in our homes.
Knowing that there is a specific reason for your difficulties in learning and performing certain tasks can be a great relief. If you decide to be evaluated for a learning disability, you can look forward to learning a good deal about yourself. These benefits include:
A detailed profile of your strengths and areas of weakness.
Specific strategies to help you perform more effectively at work, in college/university and in everyday life.
Recommendations for support services, such as counselling, vocational assessment and job training.
Recommendations for instructional strategies that will be of most help to you.
Documentation that will support your request for modifications and/or accommodations in college and university or in the workplace.
Child/Adolescent ADHD Assessment
When children show a consistent pattern of inattention or problems managing their behaviour over time, it may point to the presence of a more pervasive condition known as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). ADHD is a childhood-onset, neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity.
Signs are often first noticed during preschool but are not recognized as a problem until the elementary school years or later.
Students with ADHD may show symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity-impulsivity, or both which may impact academic functioning and place them at a greater risk for social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties.
Children with executive functioning deficits often display problems with some (or all) of the following: organization, time management, task initiation and completion, shifting attention from one task to another and integrating past experience with present action.
The ADHD brain is wired in a way that impairs executive functioning. Executive functioning refers to the regulation of various cognitive processes in the service of goal-directed activity. They are believed to be controlled by the prefrontal cortex and include such processes as planning, problem solving, and working memory.
Assessing for ADHD helps clarify the symptom presentation, which provides greater insight into academic and behavioural concerns and informs efforts to assist both at home and school. Assessment results are often used by the child’s school to establish an Individualized Education Plan, which specifies how best to meet his or her specific learning needs.
Child Learning Disability Assessments
When a child persistently lags behind his or her classmates, parents can begin to feel helpless. You may notice that your child is frustrated, discouraged, or ashamed. However, when children begin to feel better about their academic performance, there is often a corresponding improvement in their overall wellbeing.
A learning disability is a neurodevelopmental disorder that interferes in one or more ways with a person’s ability to take in, store, process, and/or produce information. Identifying a learning disability can be relieving for both you and your child, as it provides a context for his or her struggles and informs efforts to improve academic functioning.
Identifying a learning disability can be relieving for both you and your child.
The process of diagnosing a learning disability begins with a psychoeducational assessment. Presenting concerns are first clarified during an interview with you and/or your child, then an assessment is conducted to evaluate your child’s functioning in various cognitive, academic, and psychological domains. The results are shared with you (and sometimes your child) and recommendations are discussed to benefit to your child at school and at home. You will be provided with a summary report, to be shared with your child’s school to facilitate academic planning and to establish an Individualized Education Plan.