What is ADHD?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental condition that affects children and often persists into adulthood. It includes a combination of attention and impulsivity problems that become disruptive to daily life activities. ADHD tends to be a stigmatized and misunderstood condition that seems to be defined by a “naughty” or difficult child with below to average intelligence. However, many individuals with ADHD tend to be highly intelligent and create successful lives, professionally and personally. While the symptoms of ADHD are disruptive to daily functioning, individuals can overcome the challenges with the right targeted intervention strategies.

• Getting behind with school work, struggling to keep up
• Handing in assignments late, missing deadlines
• Stressed out over exams
• Finding it hard to concentrate in class or get going on tasks
• Worry about HSC or career choice
• Not feeling motivated, lots of procrastination
• Poor organizational skills
• Do you need help with prioritization?
• Is a new project overwhelming you?
• Are you already worried about managing the next school year with your child?

• Making careless mistakes, being easily distracted
• Understanding or following through on instructions
• Difficulty with organizing tasks or activities
• Procrastination, often avoiding tasks that require sustained mental effort
• Often losing things necessary for tasks, becoming forgetful in daily activities
• Finding difficultly to keep focussed and sit through meetings
• Tendency to start new projects but finds difficulty to see through to completion
• Interrupts or intrudes on others, is easily bored, difficulty waiting in lines
• Impulsive with money, difficulty with financial decisions
• Do you feel like there are not enough hours in the day?

Common emotional difficulties that can be associated with ADHD:

• Worry
• Performance anxiety/error anxiety
• Depression including feelings of hopelessness
• Anxiety and agitation
• Irritability
• Highly sensitive/ feelings get hurt easily
• Perfectionistic traits
• May be easily embarrassed
• Feelings of Guilt
• Passive/shyness may lead to being bullied
• Feelings of shame
• Aggressiveness
• Compulsive eating- over or under

Step 1: Initial Consultation involves a detailed developmental history to understand all the factors that may contribute to concerns of attention/focus problems. Review any psychological assessments that may have been conducted in the past and review primary and high school report cards where possible.

Step 2: After the first consultation, assessments involving a range of neuropsychological and clinical assessments are administered to provide a clear picture of cognitive, behavioural and emotional strengths and developmental areas and evaluate the presence of ADHD symptoms.

Step 3: At the follow-up second consultation, a further clinical interview is conducted with verbal feedback provided on the assessment results and clinical formulation and outcome across both consultations. This is also the stage where we can confirm whether an ADHD diagnosis is appropriate.  Recommendations are discussed with a brief outline of treatment goals and strategies that may be utilised to help everyday function and management of ADHD symptoms.

Step 4: We have many treatment approaches to managing ADHD determined by an individual’s treatment needs. These include science-based ADHD coaching to help with, for example, planning and organisational skills, time management, and procrastination, in combination with traditional evidence-based psychological strategies to manage overwhelm and emotional distress.