We've suspected ADHD for a while, however, we wanted to be VERY sure before seeking an official evaluation or diagnosis. I wanted to make sure it's not just related to giftedness and being underchallenged or something else entirely. The developmental behavioral pediatrician looks at the whole child and performs very thorough physical, behavioral, developmental, and neurological assessments. Ds had to do some writing and visual processing tests, reading tests, reading and following directions of increasing complexity, coordination tests, etc. Of course, throughout this process they were observing his attention and focus and ability to initate and follow through on tasks.
In addition to the eval, the parents and teacher(s) complete an extremely lengthy and thorough questionairre about developmental history and behaviors observed at home and at school. The doctor then asked a lot of questions about ds's development from birth to present. She didn't leave any stone unturned. She even asked me about every child care situation he's ever had, birth, infancy, preschool, etc. Here's a brief explanation provided on this particular doctor's website for what to tell your child when he/she is going in for an appt:
"The nurse will check height, weight, vision and hearing and will also give vocabulary and fine motor skills tests. The doctor will do a physical and neurological examination, and will assess language and motor functions. There is no pass or fail in any of these tests. What we are trying to do is determine the child�s learning and behavioral style to find ways to help with schoolwork, behavior and getting along with friends."
It was expensive, but a lot of it will be covered by insurance. We just have to submit our claim ourselves, as the doctor doesn't file insurance. I knew I'd question the diagnosis if we didn't do something comprehensive like this. There are psychologists and psychiatrists who also diagnose ADHD. I, personally, felt better with this doctor than going that route, but a lot of people are very confident in their psychologists and/or psychiatrists.
Our doctor has seen it all, and doesn't just go in to confirm or discount a particular diagnosis. She looks for anything and everything. I trust that the diagnosis is accurate. She was so knowledgeable, and everything she said just made sense. She spent a few hours with ds, and she could describe him to me like she's lived with him her whole life.
My best friend used this same doctor for her son, and she was equally impressed. She agreed that she needed some kind of assessment like this to trust the diagnosis.
Oh, and another thing I like about her is she's not quick to just prescribe medication. She really looks at the individual situation and respects a family's feelings on that subject.
