The iceberg analogy is commonly used for ADHD. What we see above the surface is usually only half the story. Have you experienced arguments with your loved ones for not listening, forgetting, or forgetting important information? Have you been accused of having lack of follow through? Been labeled as lazy when you know you are capable of more? Felt that you have to work harder than others to achieve the same results? These feelings can mask the true culprit: symptoms of ADHD, be they inattention, procrastination, low motivation, hyperactivity, impulsivity, or other executive functioning skills such as time-blindness and disorganization.

Through comprehensive assessment that can qualify you for work, school, and standardized testing accommodations as well as psychiatric medications such as Adderall, we will discover if ADHD explains your symptoms. Through the testing process, many of my patients who are diagnosed ADHD describe suddenly realizing why they have always felt that they had to work harder than others to achieve the same results, or why their interest can wane so rapidly. Then, we will work together with customized ADHD therapy to help you overcome your symptoms and unlock your potential.

1. If you are interested only in ADHD medication and/or accommodations at work or school, I recommend the first option.

2. If you are seeking accommodations on standardized testing or think you may qualify for/wish to be tested for other diagnoses [as ADHD has a high comorbidity rate with other diagnoses, such as anxiety, depression, ASD (autism spectrum disorder), trauma, bipolar, and other disorders], and may wish to pursue medication or other accommodations, then I recommend this option’s comprehensive testing and report.

With this comprehensive assessment, you not only determine whether you meet diagnostic criteria for ADHD, but can also conclusively determine whether it is indeed ADHD causing your symptoms or if it is actually attributed to another disorder. That way, you are working on the correct disorder rather than risking pursuing therapy for a disorder that is not actually the root of the symptoms you are experiencing. It includes numerous and personalized recommendations to treat your symptoms.

If you are seeking standardized testing accommodations, comprehensive assessment is recommended as most testing, such as the MCAT, LSAT, and GRE require a comprehensive assessment that utilizes neuropsychological, academic achievement, personality, and intellectual testing to demonstrate the following, depending on the diagnosis being assessed for (the image to the left is taken directly from the MCAT accommodations website, as an example): 

• • Understanding what issues in your life are caused, exacerbated by, or worsening your ADHD symptoms
  • Discerning whether medication and/or accommodations at work or school would be beneficial, and helping you get the assessments needed to obtain these
  • Identifying treatment goals and keeping you on track to accomplish them

Learning behavioral strategies to:

1. 1. increase motivation
   2. decrease procrastination
   3. improve attention
   4. decrease impulsivity
   5. improve time-blindness
   6. decrease forgetfulness

I’m so glad you’re here. Let’s talk!

therapy@drshannonthomas.com