ISO evaluative psychiatrist for 19-yr-old with possible ADHD

[Anonymous]

DS is an awesome kid who has always been incredibly smart yet academically underachieving from middle school onward. (IQ 95%+ percentile, standardized test scores 99%, but B grades in a very hard private school.) His teachers have been telling us for a decade that he underperformed. We did testing with Stixrud when he was 14, and he didn't have enough markers to get formally diagnosed with ADHD, but got a diagnoses of Otherwise Unspecified Attention Deficit Disorder. He didn't want to ask for special accommodations and we never did.

Fast-forward 5 1/2 years to his sophomore year in college and he is telling us that he feels like he is really struggling with attention and that he thinks, comparing notes with college friends who have ADHD, that it might not be a "personal moral failing" as he's been internalizing for a very long time but ADHD. He wants to get tested - and we are looking for a referral for someone who would be good with a young adult. Looking back at his earlier testing, I am struck by the fact that because he passed certain average baselines, he didn't get formally diagnosed. I'm sure I'm framing this well, but we're looking for someone who can be nuanced - i.e., just because my kid can do a task at the 25% percentile of all people doesn't mean that he's not affected by something that he clearly feels himself to be affected by.

Thanks for any advice and referrals. And if this is better posted in another forum, please let me know.

[Anonymous]

It might seem like an obvious place to start, but has he checked with health services at his school? My DD attended a large public university that offered extensive health services (including ADHD specific diagnostic appointments with on staff psychiatrists).

[Anonymous]

Thanks - he's at a very small (but great!) LAC that doesn't have those services. Looking for a DC referral so he can get an appointment over the summer. Plus trying to study abroad, so he really wants a DC practitioner.

[Anonymous]

Post on special needs forum. Or search recent discussions. This is a regular topic there.

[Anonymous]

Elizabeth Cutner in Rockville is excellent. Just took our sophomore in college there over break.

[Anonymous]

I don't have personal experience with these, but we received the following recommendations for psychiatrists, albeit for a very different situation:

Dr. Michelle Seelman
Dr. Jennifer Costello
Dr. David Driver
Dr. Carrie Lewis
Dr. Robbie Marcou
Dr. Michael Morse

I have been told Dr. Michael Morse has a very thorough evaluation process.

[Anonymous]

Highly recommend Dr. Pooja Datta at Manas Cor in DC.

[Anonymous]

Dr zimmitti in bethesda or Georgetown. You can not meet the criteria for ADHD in high school
But then meet it

[Anonymous]

^sorry. Then meet it in college even though it doesn’t mean that you didn’t have it. ADHD is not something you develop. You have it or you don’t but he way they measure it is nuanced not absolute. Also he could meet other criteria for other issues that are not adhd.

[Anonymous]

Dr Alvero Guzman is great, but I don’t know if he’s taking new patients and it’s been many years since I he was my doctor (because we moved).