How is it helpful for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)?
To diagnose ADHD all you really need is a clinical interview and behavior ratings – maybe takes an hour to do. But to provide an understanding of what aspects of attention are disrupted and how these impact the child’s academic, emotional, and social functioning takes a more in-depth evaluation, well beyond what is necessary for an ADHD diagnosis. A neuropsychological evaluation is an objective method for diagnosing attentional disorders, because it specifically measures attention and related cognitive skill deficits usually implicated in AD/HD. The evaluation involves an integration of medical and educational history, behavioral data, and test results. Testing includes batteries of attention and executive functioning to help obtain standardized measures of the child’s performance more than just reliance on behavior rating scales. A neuropsychological evaluation also provides the opportunity to detect other problems often associated with AD/HD, such as learning disabilities, behavioral
