ADHD EVALUATIONS IN GARDEN CITY, NY
Long Island ADHD Evaluations
Comprehensive ADHD assessment to better understand and support children aged 6+ with a board-certified neuropsychologist in Garden City, NY.
When your child is struggling, you want answers
When you notice cognitive, behavioral, or mood challenges in your child, you want answers. What is going on? What should you do? Who can best help you?
Dr. Watson, a board-certified neuropsychologist at Garden City Neuropsychology, can provide comprehensive ADHD evaluations for children ages 6+ who are experiencing challenges in behavior management, learning, socializing, mobility and coordination, organization, executive function, and more.
Is it Time for an ADHD Evaluation?
You may have recently had a pediatrician, neurologist, therapist, teacher, or other professional recommend an ADHD evaluation for your child, or you yourself may have noticed challenges in you or your child that you would like to know more about.
Experiences that would warrant an ADHD assessment include (but are not limited to):
Attention or concentration challenges
Poor Worsening grades in school
Unable to sit still, fidgeting, even during activities they enjoy
Excessive focus on specific activities or subjects
Noticeable short-term memory challenges
Communication challenges: unfinished sentences, can’t find the right words, speaking at the wrong volume
Executive functioning difficulties
Losing things or having trouble locating things
Poor judgment or decision-making, impulsivity
Challenges in staying organized, creating plans, or completing tasks
Difficulty switching from one task to another
Behavior management challenges, outbursts, destructiveness
Difficulty in interacting with others: not waiting their turn, taking things without asking, ignoring boundaries
Increased anxiety or depression symptoms with no clear cause
Motor skill or coordination challenges, like difficulty with writing, drawing, tying shoes, using utensils, walking, clumsiness, etc.
What if it isn’t ADHD?
Dr. Watson at Garden City Neuropsychology has the experience and expertise to evaluate your child for a wide variety of psychological and neurodevelopmental conditions, including ADHD or learning disabilities, and any potential neuropsychological impacts of injury or disease. He can help to understand different contributions of mood or anxiety issues versus primary challenges with attention or executive functioning.
By working with a practitioner with specialized knowledge in brain-behavior connections, you and your child will gain an understanding of their brain health to open doors to accommodation, intervention therapies, and peace of mind knowing you are now equipped to help your child thrive.
Not all children who experience behavioral, mood, or cognitive challenges have ADHD. This is why it’s worthwhile as a parent to seek out an assessment with a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist.
Why Choose Garden City Neuropsychology?
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Proper training is crucial to high-quality neuropsychological services, so finding a qualified neuropsychologist is imperative to receiving the highest quality assessments possible. At Garden City Neuropsychology, you have access to a practitioner with exceptional credentials and experience.
Dr. Philip Watson is not only a licensed psychologist in New York State who has been in practice since 2016, but he has also been instrumental in building the Neuropsychology program at Northwell Health, where he now serves as Director of Neuropsychology for Behavioral Health services.
In addition to these professional achievements, he has also completed board certification in Clinical Neuropsychology through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology (ABCN), a specialty board of the American Board of Professional Psychology.
Less than 3% of psychologists in the US have attained board certification. It is a rigorous peer review process that examines credentials and casework, and requires exhaustive written and oral examination. Board certification acknowledges, via professional peers in the field, comprehensive competency in the clinical neuropsychology specialty.
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Navigating hospital systems and coordinating practitioners in the evaluation process can be challenging and can add long lead times to the process.
At Garden City Neuropsychology, you have the undivided attention of Dr. Watson throughout the process. He performs every step of the evaluation, from receiving your initial call, a comprehensive clinical intake, a full neuropsychological evaluation, and a report detailing the assessment. He personally performs intake appointments and evaluations, coordinates contact with all the relevant parties for your specific case, and provides personalized reports that he reviews with you, answering all your questions. Dr. Watson will be there for any follow-up that is needed, any form that needs to be completed, and any discussion with your care team or other professional.
At Garden City Neuropsychology, you have unparalleled access to and attention from an exceptional professional in the field of neuropsychology, elevating your evaluation experience and ensuring you receive the best care possible.
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Dr. Watson is a proud Garden City resident, raising his family here and taking great pride in his community. His practice is located in the heart of Garden City, providing easy access to exceptionally high-quality neuropsychological services close to home!
How can an ADHD assessment help your child?
Messages go directly to Dr. Watson.Clarifying a diagnosis
Better understanding of strengths and weaknesses
Outlining learning strategies to facilitate your child’s learning process
Determining appropriate accommodations and services for school or work (for teens), with documentation to support you in accessing those accommodations.
Referrals to the right professionals for treatments and support
Establishing a baseline for cognitive ability to be used for future reference
Assessing change in functioning and behavior during the course of an illness, surgical procedure, or treatment
Access to an expert in developing and communicating effective treatment plans
Developing behavioral plans to leverage strengths and accommodate specific weaknesses
What happens in an ADHD evaluation?
The ADHD evaluation process takes place in three separate stages: intake, evaluation, and reporting.
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Before your intake appointment, you may be asked to provide supporting information such as medical reports, previous diagnostic testing, and notes from people who know your child, to provide more context for your evaluation.
During your intake appointment (either in person or via telehealth), Dr. Watson will review the information you’ve provided and ask thoughtful questions of both you and your child to better understand your child’s history and current circumstances. During this stage, Dr. Watson will determine if an ADHD evaluation is warranted and will answer your and your child’s questions about the process.
Dr. Watson may interview people in your child’s life to gain more information to support your evaluation as part of this stage in the process. -
ADHD evaluations take place over 1-2 days, in person. Each evaluation session can take between 3 and 6 hours, with ample break time included. Dr. Watson will administer a series of exercises that will help evaluate the function and health of different areas of your child’s brain and different brain systems.
The tasks your child will complete will take a comprehensive look at intellectual, cognitive, functional, and emotional capacities.
The evaluation will assess:
General intellect
Reading and comprehension
Attention and concentration
Adaptive abilities
Information processing
Learning and memory
Problem-solving, reasoning
Executive functioning
Language use and processing
Visuospatial skills
Motor skills and sensory processing
Behavior, mood, and personality
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Your feedback appointment will be scheduled for about 2 weeks later. In the comprehensive report, Dr. Watson will outline his findings, including any diagnoses, and will provide recommendations for referrals and a treatment plan that guides you through your child’s next steps.
He will schedule an appointment to meet with you and review your child’s report with you step by step. He will answer any questions you might have and will make sure the next steps are clear.
Dr. Watson is also available to help coordinate support with schools, therapists, and medical professionals after completing his report, for an additional fee.
Ready to Get Started?
When you need to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of your child’s brain, an ADHD evaluation can provide you with a comprehensive assessment of their intellectual, cognitive, functional, and emotional capacities. From there, you can access support and treatment that can help your child thrive.
Messages go directly to Dr. Watson.Frequently Asked Questions About ADHD Evaluations
Here are some answers to the most common questions we receive about ADHD evaluations at Garden City Neuropsychology.
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An intake appointment typically takes 90 minutes, and can be done in person or virtually via telehealth.
If it is determined that an assessment is appropriate, Dr. Watson will take time to collect relevant medical information and interview any friends, family, peers, medical practitioners, therapists, or teachers who can add context to your personal circumstances.
The evaluation will take place over 1-2 days, typically taking 3-6 hours per day. Evaluations vary in length based on a client’s circumstances. The amount of time required will be clearly communicated before the evaluation begins.Dr. Watson typically takes 2 weeks to write a thorough, comprehensive report, and will schedule an appointment with you to review that report and answer any of your questions. These appointments take an average of 90 minutes.
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General psychologist training prepares professionals to provide many highly useful mental health services, but a trained neuropsychiatrist has more specialized knowledge in how brain function impacts behavior and ability, which is crucial in providing an effective and comprehensive ADHD evaluation. In the words of the National Academy of Neuropsychology:
“A clinical neuropsychologist is a professional within the field of psychology with special expertise in the applied science of brain-behavior relationships. Clinical neuropsychologists use this knowledge in the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or rehabilitation of patients across the lifespan with neurological, medical, neurodevelopmental, and psychiatric conditions, as well as other cognitive and learning disorders.” – NAN Definition of a Clinical Neuropsychologist (2001)
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When your child is experiencing changes or challenges that impact their daily life, choosing to invest in assessment and planning can have long-term benefits.
An ADHD evaluation with a board-certified neuropsychologist like Dr. Watson gives you access to an expertly performed assessment that covers all facets of your child’s cognition. You will receive professional guidance on next steps, and referrals to the right professionals to assist you in accommodating for changes or challenges.
These supports can be life-altering, improving performance, opening up access to independence, and preserving existing abilities. Self-understanding through this kind of evaluation can also alleviate a lot of shame and self-blame. Your child is not a problem. They aren’t lazy, nor are they a troublemaker. They have specific strengths and weaknesses tied directly to your neurobiology, and with proper support, your child can meaningfully change their life.
You are investing in expertly derived documentation of your child’s neurobiology that can help your child to access additional support in school, in professional settings, and in activities of daily living (ADLs).
The time and energy you put into obtaining an ADHD evaluation today should be considered an investment in your child’s future. Your child, your family, and you are worth that investment. You deserve support, and an ADHD assessment at Garden City Neurobiology can open the door to accessing that support.
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Depending on personal circumstances, follow-up evaluations may make sense. Typically, these happen 3-5 years after your initial evaluation, but some clients benefit from a follow-up a year after their initial evaluation.
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ADHD evaluations are stand-alone services that include an intake appointment, evaluation, and a report that can include referrals and potential treatment plans.
Dr. Watson provides intervention therapies such as executive function coaching or cognitive remediation, but these services are separate from the evaluation process.
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You do not need to prepare your child for the evaluation. There is no need to study, practice, or review. This is not something you should consider a pass-fail experience.
You are investing in an evaluation that will give you better knowledge about your child and a path forward toward meaningful support.
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As part of the reporting process, Dr. Watson may recommend that clients work with certain practitioners and discuss medication with them. During your report review appointment, he will discuss his reasoning for any recommendations and answer any questions you have.
Dr. Watson does not write prescriptions for medication and does not provide medication management services at this time.