Blacksburg Virginia Attention Deficit Disorder Treatment | ADHD Professionals


Harvey Barker, Ph.D.
Daniel Porter, Ph.D.

Experienced professionals specializing in assessment, counseling, coaching, and behavior management.

Blacksburg Virginia Attention Deficit Disorder Diagnosis

ADD and ADHD are neurological-behavioral disorders that must be diagnosed through a thorough evaluation of multiple behavioral measures from multiple sources, across a variety of different environments, i.e. home, school, work.

Many specialists now believe that these disorders are significantly overdiagnosed in our society. The overdiagnosis of ADD is often related to the following:

Blacksburg Virginia ADHD diagnosis services
  • Some physicians may diagnose children on the basis of one behavioral checklist and parent or teacher reports. The problem here is that ADD very closely resembles and shares common symptoms with functional behavioral problems, anxiety and depression in children as well as anxiety, depression and functional motivational problems in adults.
  • Teachers and parents are under pressure to have the child function in the school environment effectively without disruption.
  • Adults with marital or work-related problems are under pressure to function effectively in the home and work settings and maintain good relationships.
  • ADD seen as a "medical" disorder that can be "controlled with a pill" offers a quick solution to a problem that the individual cannot control and (as a chemical imbalance in the body) is not responsible for.
  • Many professional evaluations of ADD lack a thorough thorough developmental evaluation of the primary symptoms from birth. This is an essential practice in order to minimize misdiagnosis.
  • The coexistence of ADD and other disorders such as anxiety and depression is increasing rapidly in our society. Consequently, ADD can mask or hide these other disorders and these other disorders will often mask or hide the symptoms of ADD. As a result, the proper diagnosis may be missed and the consequent medical or psychological treatments result in compromised effectiveness or durability.

Our assessment procedures are designed and selected to prevent the common problems and shortcomings noted above. We offer tried and tested informational and assessment systems that provide a sound beginning to the processes of the accurate identification and treatment of ADD.

Attention deficit disorder diagnosis in Blacksburg Virginia