Essentials of ADHD Assessment for Children and Adolescents

ELIZABETH P. SPARROW, PhD, is a pediatric neuropsychologist in Raleigh, North Carolina, with expertise in diagnosis and treatment planning for ADHD in children, adolescents, and young adults. Dr. Sparrow wrote the Essentials of Conners Behavior Assessments, co-authored the Guide to Assessment Scales in ADHD, Second Edition, and co-edited Executive Function and Dysfunction: Identification, Assessment, and Treatment.DREW ERHARDT, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and professor in the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University. In addition to writing numerous journal articles and chapters on the nature, assessment, and treatment of ADHD, Dr. Erhardt co-authored the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale and served on the editorial board of the Journal of Attention Disorders.

• Foreword xiSeries Preface xiiiPreface xvAcknowledgments xixOne Understanding ADHD 1Historical Perspective 2Overarching Principles 8Core Features 11Associated Features and Comorbidity 14Etiology 20Epidemiology 25Summary 30Test Yourself 30References 32Two What the DSM-5 Says About ADHD 45Organization of the DSM-5 46DSM-5 Criteria for ADHD 49How Do I Know if It Is DSM-5 ADHD? 64Summary 64Test Yourself 65References 67Three Assessing ADHD: Goals and Guiding Principles 69Goals 70Guiding Principles 78Summary 99Test Yourself 100References 102Four Components of ADHD Assessment 107Sequence of Evaluation Components 109Record Review 111Interview 113Clinical Observation 125Rating Scales 128Cognitive Testing 133Summary 148Test Yourself 149References 150Five Putting It All Together: Integrating Findings and Drawing Conclusions 154Clinical Application of the DSM-5 Criteria for ADHD 155Differential Diagnosis and Comorbidity 163Dealing with Discrepant Data 179Beyond Diagnosis 183Summary 186Test Yourself 187References 189Six Illustrative Case Reports 191Psychological Evaluation 194ADHD Evaluation Report 223Neuropsychological Evaluation 245Annotated Bibliography 275About the Authors 277Index 279