An ADHD evaluation consists of:

1. A review of any prior evaluations and school records including report cards and standardized testing.
2. Then, there is a diagnostic interview. Often with younger children, there’s a parent interview first before the child comes for the evaluation. The purposes of the interview include understanding the presenting symptoms, finding out how long they have been present, and if they occur in more than one setting (e.g., home as well as school or work). It’s important to rule out whether other conditions might be present which mimic ADHD (such as depression, anxiety, motivtional problems, substance abuse problems, learning disabilities and in rare cases, psychotic disorders).
3. If ADHD looks like a possibility, then standardized rating forms are distrubuted. With chidlren, the rating forms are completed by parents and teachers. With teens, parents, teachers, and the teen fills out the forms. With adults, the adult in question fills out a self report form and then others fill this out as well such as a spouse, friend, co-worker or even supervisor. A key question answered by these forms is whether or not the symptoms are beyond what is typical for someone’s age and gender.
4. Some kind of direct measure of ADHD symptoms is also recommended. This might include a performance measure of attention and concentration, using such instruments as the CAVAAS (Comprehensive Auditory Visual Attention Assessment System) or the CPT (Continuous Perofmance Test (CPT). It may also involve the administration of tests of Working Memory.
5. It is not unusual for other conditions to develop because of the presence of ADHD. So, there may be additional testing to look at levels of depression, anxiety, or other conditions which commonly occur in conjunction with ADHD.
6. Then, the data are studied and compared. A report is then generated which includes the findings, conclusions, and recommendations.