Comprehensive ADHD Testing for Children Ages 6–12

Many providers diagnose ADHD based on a brief parent interview and a single rating scale. While these tools have their place, they cannot capture the complexity of a developing child's mind. At Everyday Parenting Psychology, our evaluation includes a complete neuropsychological battery, IQ testing, attention and executive functioning measures, memory and processing speed assessments, and emotional and behavioral inventories. This level of rigor means you receive an evaluation that holds up in school meetings, with pediatricians, and across the various settings where your child needs support.

For families in Westchester and New York City, where school environments are often demanding and expectations run high, the difference between a surface-level screening and a thorough neuropsychological evaluation can be transformative. A comprehensive workup reveals not just whether your child has ADHD, but how their specific cognitive profile interacts with their learning environment. We identify processing strengths alongside areas of challenge, giving teachers and tutors the granular information they need to support your child effectively. Parents consistently tell us that the depth of our evaluation was the turning point, the moment they finally felt equipped to advocate with confidence.

Dr. Samantha Smith brings specialized expertise in pediatric neuropsychological assessment, ensuring that every test administered is appropriate for your child's age, developmental level, and presenting concerns. The result is a report that is both clinically precise and genuinely useful, a document you will refer back to for years.

ADHD, anxiety, trauma responses, sensory processing differences, autism, and giftedness can all present with overlapping symptoms in school-age children. A child who can't sit still may be anxious, not inattentive. A child who zones out may be processing sensory overload, not lacking focus. Without a differential diagnostic process, children are at risk of being mislabeled, receiving a diagnosis that doesn't fit and interventions that don't help.

Our evaluation is explicitly designed to tease apart these overlapping presentations. We assess not only for ADHD but also screen for anxiety disorders, mood disturbances, trauma history, autism spectrum characteristics, sensory processing differences, and learning disabilities. This approach is especially important for children in the 6-to-12 age range, when developmental changes are rapid, and symptoms can shift. A child who appears hyperactive at seven may present as primarily inattentive by ten; a child diagnosed with ADHD at another practice may actually have an unidentified anxiety disorder driving their distractibility.

In competitive school communities across Westchester and Manhattan, the stakes of an inaccurate diagnosis are high. An incorrect label can lead to ineffective medication, inappropriate classroom placement, or missed opportunities for targeted intervention. Everyday Parenting Psychology's commitment to differential diagnosis means your child gets the right answer, even when that answer is more complex than a single diagnosis. We take the time because your child's future depends on getting this right.

A diagnosis without a plan is just a label. At Everyday Parenting Psychology, every evaluation concludes with a detailed set of recommendations tailored to your child's specific needs, including explicit guidance for pursuing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 accommodations in your child's school.

Parents navigating the NYC Department of Education or Westchester County school districts know that securing appropriate services can be a complex, sometimes adversarial process. Our reports are written to serve as powerful advocacy documents. We include specific, research-backed accommodation recommendations, extended time, preferential seating, movement breaks, modified homework expectations, executive function coaching, and more, written in language that school psychologists and CSE committees recognize and respect. We don't hand you a generic list; we connect each recommendation directly to your child's test data, making it difficult for schools to dismiss or minimize your child's needs.

Beyond the written report, our feedback session prepares you to walk into school meetings with clarity and confidence. We explain your child's results in plain language, help you understand what accommodations are most impactful for their profile, and provide guidance on how to request and follow up on services. For families considering private school placements, we also offer insight into which educational environments may be the best fit for your child's learning style. The goal is not just a diagnosis on paper, it's a clear, actionable path forward that opens doors for your child.

Your child's evaluation will be conducted by Dr. Samantha Smith, a clinician with specialized training in pediatric neuropsychological assessment and ADHD diagnosis. Dr. Smith brings a warm, child-centered approach to testing, putting children at ease while maintaining the clinical rigor that produces reliable, valid results. She is part of Everyday Parenting Psychology's carefully selected team of 12 experienced clinicians, a practice founded by Dr. Jeanette Sawyer Cohen and Dr. Layne Raskin with an uncompromising commitment to clinical excellence.

At Everyday Parenting Psychology, we are selective about the clinicians we bring onto our team. Every member is a leader in their respective area of specialization, and our practice culture is one of intellectual curiosity, collaboration, and ongoing professional development. When you bring your child in for an ADHD evaluation, you're not seeing a generalist who occasionally administers attention tests; you're working with a specialist whose clinical focus is the precise intersection of attention, development, and learning in school-age children.

Parents in Westchester and New York City often tell us they chose Everyday Parenting because they were looking for a provider who matched their own high standards. Our clients are thoughtful, research-minded families who want more than a name on a prescription pad. They want a clinician who can explain the why behind every finding, who welcomes their questions, and who treats them as an essential partner in the evaluation process. Dr. Smith and the entire EPP team deliver exactly that level of care.

Children don't behave the same way in every environment. A child who is focused and calm at home may struggle significantly at school, or vice versa. That's why our evaluation collects data from multiple informants across multiple settings, ensuring that no critical piece of information is missed.

Our assessment includes standardized behavioral rating scales completed by both parents and teachers, capturing how your child functions in structured academic settings, unstructured social environments, and at home. Teacher input is a component that many ADHD evaluations overlook or treat as optional; at Everyday Parenting Psychology, it is a core part of the process. Teachers observe your child for hours each day in a setting that places sustained demands on attention, impulse control, and executive function, their perspective is invaluable.

When the clinical picture warrants it, we also offer optional classroom observation. Dr. Smith or a member of our team will visit your child's school to observe their behavior, engagement, and interactions in real time. This provides ecological validity that no office-based test can replicate. For families in Westchester, where children may attend a range of public, private, and parochial schools with very different structures and expectations, classroom observation can be the piece that ties the entire evaluation together. Combined with direct clinical testing and caregiver history, this multi-method approach produces findings that are robust, defensible, and deeply informative.

We understand that bringing your child in for testing can feel daunting, for you and for them. Many children arrive for their first session feeling nervous, unsure of what to expect, or worried that something is "wrong" with them. Our evaluation process is designed to be a positive experience. Dr. Smith builds rapport with each child before diving into formal testing, using age-appropriate language to explain what they'll be doing and why. Testing activities often feel like puzzles and games, and sessions are paced to your child's energy and attention, with breaks as needed.

For parents, the process is equally supportive. From the initial phone call through the final feedback session, our team communicates clearly, answers your questions thoroughly, and treats your concerns with the seriousness they deserve. We know that the weeks of waiting for evaluation results can be anxious ones, and we prioritize timely completion and transparent communication throughout.

Everyday Parenting Psychology was built on the belief that families deserve care that is comprehensive, compassionate, and respectful, and our ADHD evaluations are no exception. Whether your child is a first-grader who can't stop moving or a sixth-grader who has learned to mask their struggles, we meet them where they are and help them, and you, move forward with confidence and understanding.