who do i go to to get my kid evaluted for adhd when school and doctor doesn't work

Mary

Thank you for your question and welcome to ADHDCentral. Schools do not evaluate for ADHD as this is considered a medical condition, not a learning problem. You should ask your doctor for a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist in your area that specializes or has experience working with children with ADHD and other mental illnesses.

I have included some links to information on the site that might be of help to you:

Evaluating Children: What to Expect

The People You Meet: Medical Personnel

Rating Scales for ADHD

Creating a Treatment Plan

Find a Healthcare Provider

Advocacy When Dealing with Medical Providers

I hope this information helps you. Please let me know how everything works out.

Eileen

yes, You call your local Board of Ed people and ask them the process. That's what I did when my son was little. He's now 26. There are two types of BoE. There are the regular BOE and the Disabled BOE. But either one will help you to set up a program with your school to help. You will need the doctor's finding and why the doctor told you that your child has ADHD. There are also programs for diets that can help this condition. If your doctor suggest meds, get a second opinion. I helped my son without meds.

I took my son this week as a matter of fact for a full realm of testing. Try Jewish Family Services. You don't have to be of the Jewish faith to go to them. They have a great team of Psychologist, counselors, etc. and will do a full scale testing on your child for ADD/ADHD, mood disorders (which often accompany ADHD), and several other issues. We spent the better part of 3 1/2 hours with them. First we answered questions and then they took my son in for two hours of combined copmuter and paper tesing. They also sent home a set of questions that we are having his case manager at school fill out and we will fill out a pack at home. Once these are completed and returned they will score all test together and give you the best diagnosis and plan for your child.

By the way, my pediatrician diagnosed my son without testing years ago and I thought I would never get the school to help. The school can only test for educational needs. So finding out the right information has really helped us. If you need any further information, you should contact your local county/city mental health office.

Good Luck....you'll be glad you got the help. 

Are you looking for medication for your son or just for a diagnosis?  If you absolutely feel the need for testing, you could have him privately evaluated and your insurance may cover it - check that out first.  IF it does, you would need to find a psychologist who specializes in working with children and also ADHD.  Once this is done, you can take the results back to your son's school and share the results with them, if you so desire.  If your insurance does not cover this, it will cost about $300-800 dollars depending on the throughness of the evaluation.  At minimum there should be an ADHD behavior scale filled out by you and his teacher.  These would be scored by the psychologist.  Additionally, some educationally testing and psychological testing could be done.  Many psychologists prefer to do the additional testing to rule out other possible problems.  However, remember this:  ADHD is not a disorder that is covered under the children with disabilities act law (IDEA), therefore he will not qualify for special eduation help strictly on a diagnosis of ADHD in most states.  Some states may have provisions to help - such as a 504 plan - but this is not the same as an IEP which is part of special education.  Hope this helps!

You may need to find another doctor.  I have been a school teacher for about 30 years.  In my case my pediatrician referred me to a psychiatrist who specialized in working with & testing children for a variety of disorders.  My child was diagnosed with ADHD and I was sent back to my pediatrician with recommendations for treatment.  I also was advised that my child exhibited some ODB (Oppositionally Defiant Behaviors) characteristics.  The doctors were able to advise me on how to deal with many of the problems I was having with my child.  While this did not "fix" all of the issues, it did help me to understand & accept things that had caused me concern.