ADHD Evaluation for Your Child: What It Involves and When
If you're wondering whether your child's trouble with focus, fidgeting, or impulsivity is typical for their age or something more, these articles explain what an ADHD evaluation actually looks like, at every age, because the signs at age 5 look different from the signs at age 13. You'll learn what's normal, what's worth watching, what to do next, and when it makes sense to have your child seen in person by Dr. Shawn Sedgh, MD.
Attention trouble is common. A neurology visit asks a narrower question.
If your 7-year-old can't sit through homework, or your teenager's grades have slid despite real effort, you've probably already heard the word ADHD. Here's the honest picture: there is no brain scan or blood test that diagnoses ADHD. It's a clinical diagnosis based on patterns of behavior across settings, and many other things can mimic it, including poor sleep, anxiety, hearing or vision problems, and, less commonly, absence seizures that look like daydreaming.
That's where a neurological evaluation earns its place. Dr. Sedgh can look for the imitators: brief staring spells in a school-age child that teachers read as inattention, sleep problems that erode focus, or developmental issues that were never flagged. Ruling these out, or finding one, changes the plan.
Dr. Sedgh's dual residency training in pediatrics and neurology means he evaluates attention in the context of the whole child, from early elementary years through age 18. If your child is struggling and you want a careful medical look before or alongside an ADHD diagnosis, you can request an in-person evaluation.
What I actually do for adhd evaluation.
Where focus breaks
Home, school, or both, and whether the trouble is new or has been there for years.
What else is present
Sleep, tics, headaches, staring spells, hearing, and learning all change the question.
What school has seen
A teacher's description is evidence. A diagnosis is not made from a single rating scale.
What this visit will not do
It will not publish a medication plan or call ordinary energy a disorder.
How a booking with me actually goes.
History from two settings
What you see at home and what the school sees, including when it started.
Exam and sorting
A neurological exam, and a look for seizures, tics, sleep, or development issues beside the attention trouble.
Who should be next
A clear statement of whether neurology, the pediatrician, or the school is the right next conversation.
Things people ask before they book.
What does the evaluation include?
The visit focuses on history: when the attention problems started, where they show up, and how your child sleeps, learns, and functions day to day. The neurological exam looks for other causes of inattention, including subtle seizure-like spells or sleep issues, before anyone settles on a label. Expect honest conversation about what a neurological evaluation can and cannot conclude.
Are medicine prices listed here?
Cost varies with insurance coverage and whether any additional testing is recommended. When you request a visit, the practice can discuss fees directly so there are no surprises.
Is this finished in one appointment?
A thorough first visit covers history and exam in a single appointment. Because ADHD is diagnosed from patterns over time and across settings, reaching a confident answer may involve input from teachers or a follow-up visit, and Dr. Sedgh will tell you plainly if that's the case.
Can you diagnose ADHD from this website?
No. Attention difficulty is common, and a diagnosis needs a history from more than one setting. This page explains what a neurology visit can add. It does not tell you that your child has ADHD.
Will the visit start a medication?
Not from a webpage, and not by default. Doses are not published here. If medicine is a question, it is discussed in the visit, after the history and exam.