Essentials of ADHD Assessment for Children and Adolescents

A comprehensive approach to accurate ADHD diagnosis In Essentials of ADHD Assessment in Children and Adolescents, the authors provide a clear and informative road map for practitioners seeking to conduct state-of-the-art assessments for one of the most common disorders of childhood.

• Detailed guidance on evaluation and differential diagnosis of ADHD
• Expert advice on selecting, interpreting, and integrating evaluation components
• Conveniently formatted for rapid reference

Quickly acquire the knowledge and skills you need to confidently and accurately identify ADHD in children and adolescents In light of skyrocketing rates of ADHD diagnosis and the serious consequences of misdiagnosis, clinicians must be able to accurately identify ADHD and to differentiate it from competing and comorbid conditions. Essentials of ADHD Assessment for Children and Adolescents provides detailed guidelines for achieving these goals with confidence. After reading this book, practitioners will understand the nature and impact of ADHD, application of DSM™-5 criteria for the disorder, essential components of state-of-the-art ADHD evaluations, and effective practices for interpreting and reporting assessment results. Applied aspects of this book include integrating evaluation data, resolving discrepancies among information sources, and clinical tips for recognizing what is ADHD and what is not ADHD. Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, each chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bullet points, and helpful clinical examples. Sample reports from a clinical psychologist, school psychologist, and neuropsychologist illustrate how a variety of report-writing styles can be used to effectively integrate and communicate the results of comprehensive ADHD assessments. With a foreword by Dr. C. Keith Conners, this straightforward book provides comprehensive coverage of ADHD and its diagnosis and gives readers the necessary tools to conduct efficient and effective evaluations of this common but frequently misdiagnosed disorder. A comprehensive approach to accurate ADHD diagnosis In Essentials of ADHD Assessment in Children and Adolescents, the authors provide a clear and informative road map for practitioners seeking to conduct state-of-the-art assessments for one of the most common disorders of childhood. Drawing upon years of experience in conducting diagnostic evaluations of ADHD following best-practice standards, they emphasize the importance of a comprehensive evaluation, incorporating data from multiple sources, using multiple methods, and interpreting findings within the appropriate developmental and cultural contexts. The major components of an ADHD evaluation (interviews, rating scales, cognitive testing, observation, record review) are reviewed in detail. Expert guidance is provided for resolving the most common challenges in assessing ADHD, including differentiating symptoms from normal development, dealing with discrepant data, differential diagnosis, and considering comorbidity. The latest scholarly literature is integrated with the authors' practical recommendations to provide clinicians with the concepts and tools needed for effective and accurate assessment of ADHD, addressing such topics as:

• When inattention is ADHD, and when it may be emotional or neurological
• Which disorders may masquerade as or present with ADHD
• The elements of accurate ADHD testing and the reasons behind them
• Integrating results of a multi-modal approach into an ADHD assessment

An indispensable professional resource for practicing clinicians, Essentials of ADHD Assessment for Children and Adolescents is a reader-friendly guide to providing a thorough, responsible ADHD evaluation.