ADHD Assessment

Helping Children & Parents in Alberta

Assessments for ADHD is critical to understand the child’s strengths and how attention affects learning.

Our assessments highlight strengths identify effective interventions to support student success in school and in life. The bottom-line: proper identification is essential in promoting positive outcomes for students academically, socially, and emotionally.

Kids with ADHD are often inconsistent, able to do great in one situation and not so well in others. Therefore, information must be obtained from adults who know the child in different settings, such as parents and teachers or other caregivers. Any assessment for ADHD must also evaluate the child’s behavioural, emotional, and social functioning; as well as their strengths, learning needs, and executive functions.

Comprehensive assessments must be conducted to understand the nature of the child’s ADHD and when the ADHD is helpful for the child or a hindrance.

Learn More About Our Clinicians Who Provide ADHD Assessments

Sally Li

Sally recognizes the importance of working collaboratively with families, teachers, and the community to address the needs of all children and to help promote overall growth and success.

Jacqueline Stowkowy

Jacqueline’s goal is to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment, where clients feel comfortable to explore, address, and challenge difficult experiences, situations, patterns of thinking, and behaviour.

Fiona Steedman

Fiona is passionate about supporting school and home environments that facilitate positive mental health, skill development and overall well-being.

Dr. Caroline Buzanko

Dr. Buzanko helps parents and teachers understand kids’ strengths, areas of challenge, and how to best support them. She figures out what makes learning easy for kids and strategies to optimize learning.

Jaime Kerr

Jaime has many years of experience supporting children with unique learning needs and implementing early interventions. She has experience working with children with ADHD, learning differences, and social-emotional concerns.

A thorough assessment often entails:

parent and child interviews
parent- and teacher-completed child behaviour rating scales
parent self-report measures
review of prior school and medical records
individually administered intelligence testing, educational achievement testing, or screening for learning disabilities
a standard pediatric examination or neurodevelopmental screening to rule out any unusual medical conditions that might produce ADHD-like symptoms
additional assessment procedures may be recommended, including vision and hearing screening, as well as formal speech and language assessment

Does my child need a psychoeducational assessment?

Every child is different in terms of their needs and abilities, but here are some of the signs that your child may need a psychoeducational assessment:

If your child consistently studies hard but the marks don’t reflect his/her effort
If your child is clearly intelligent but, because of procrastination and poor planning skills, cannot deliver their homework or assignments on time
If your child’s teacher notes in his/her report card that they need to pay more attention or stay more focused in class
If your child presents with any behavioural or emotional problems related to school or home
If your child consistently doesn’t want or doesn’t like to go to school
If your child’s marks are good in all areas except one or two, such as Math or English
If you think your child would benefit from school accommodations