Where to go to test for ADHD?

[Anonymous]

I have thought for years that my teen has inattentive-type ADHD. Mentioned to pediatrician a couple of times and blown off. He is brilliant so has always done very well in school because he is able to compensate but with a rigorous course load in HS it is catching up to him. Back to ped? Psychiatrist? Some type of psycho-educational specialist?

[Anonymous]

We went to Stixrud and they are very thorough and helpful. BUT very very expensive.

[Anonymous]

Psychiatrist first and then someplace like Stixrud.

[Anonymous]

i took my child to an educational psychologist, had 2 three hour sessions of evals, diagnosed adhd/anxiety. he had been seeing a therapist already for a year so her notes factored into those diagnoses also. once we had the "formal diagnosis" from the psych, his pediatrician was willing to prescribe a stimulant

[Anonymous]

Not prepared for a $3000 cash outlay to have, I searched my health insurance website (aetna) for neuropsychological testing and found an in-network provider. For each visit, we paid a co-pay same as for any in-network specialist office visit.

[Anonymous]

What is your goal in getting him tested?
If he’s doing well what do you want?
We got DD tested through mcps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your goal in getting him tested?
If he’s doing well what do you want?
We got DD tested through mcps.

He is not doing well in school any more. If he does have ADHD or something else, and there is something that can help him wither meds or therapy or some type of coach, I need to get him back to working at his potential.

[Anonymous]

We are about to call Stixrud for the same issue in my youngest child, currently in 10th grade. My oldest had two neuropsychs there, because his mixed-type ADHD was so severe it was quite apparent when he was a preschooler. We were hoping we wouldn't need any assessment or meds for this one, but... it's looking like she might need a little support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have thought for years that my teen has inattentive-type ADHD. Mentioned to pediatrician a couple of times and blown off. He is brilliant so has always done very well in school because he is able to compensate but with a rigorous course load in HS it is catching up to him. Back to ped? Psychiatrist? Some type of psycho-educational specialist?

+1 following

Pediatrician blew off ES aged kid as grades were fine 2's 3's & 4's. Which I found humorous as the ES does not fail ES kids and give them 1's and 2's. Based off the poor grade requirement for ES aged kids, they probably never refer kids out.

[Anonymous]

When you all say Stixrud is expensive, what are we talking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your goal in getting him tested?
If he’s doing well what do you want?
We got DD tested through mcps.

He is not doing well in school any more. If he does have ADHD or something else, and there is something that can help him wither meds or therapy or some type of coach, I need to get him back to working at his potential.

Is he young for his grade? There is a point where, at least in math, your brain simply isn't ready for advanced math. It needs time to grow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not prepared for a $3000 cash outlay to have, I searched my health insurance website (aetna) for neuropsychological testing and found an in-network provider. For each visit, we paid a co-pay same as for any in-network specialist office visit.

We have Aetna! Who did you use?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you all say Stixrud is expensive, what are we talking?

I'm 15:14. For the most recent assessment for my oldest kid in 2021, we paid 5K for 8 hours of testing over 2 days. It's serious stuff. Stixrud has a policy of not doing shorter evals, because they want to make sure there isn't a diagnosis hiding behind another diagnosis. My son has anxiety, ADHD, autism, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and low processing speed. For his first eval in 2015, we paid 3.5K or something like that.

[Anonymous]

The answer depends on how quickly you want the answer. The fastest is your pediatrician. After that, a psychiatrist and after that full neuropsych testing. For the latter two, you may not have your answer for many months due to waitlists for testing and wait time for the report - maybe six or more months. And if you get your diagnosis through testing, then you need to find a doctor to prescribe medications which is another wait time for the appointment.

If you are looking for accommodations at school you also then need to go through the 504 process.

Honestly in your shoes I’d start with the pediatrician. You want answers now not in June. You can always follow up with other evaluations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The answer depends on how quickly you want the answer. The fastest is your pediatrician. After that, a psychiatrist and after that full neuropsych testing. For the latter two, you may not have your answer for many months due to waitlists for testing and wait time for the report - maybe six or more months. And if you get your diagnosis through testing, then you need to find a doctor to prescribe medications which is another wait time for the appointment.

If you are looking for accommodations at school you also then need to go through the 504 process.

Honestly in your shoes I’d start with the pediatrician. You want answers now not in June. You can always follow up with other evaluations.

NO. A pediatrician is NOT trained to diagnose ADHD.