ADD & ADHD Testing Richmond
Recently I sat down with parents to review their daughter’s ADHD testing results. Towards the end, one said, “When I was diagnosed with ADHD, I was asked a few questions then handed a piece of paper for medication. It blows my mind how thorough this evaluation has been. We now know so much about our daughter, and we can help her.”
This is who we are and what we’re about. Because when parents or adults come to us for a formal evaluation, sure a diagnosis may be important, but what’s often much more important is understanding. We’ve completed enough evaluations to know that although clients share stories with common threads, each is an individual story. Our goal is to listen to that story, to truly understand the details and nuances, and so we can plan for next steps. For some this may be staying on track to get homework done in less than three hours or doing chores without nagging. For others it may be following through with organization so that missing assignments are a thing of the past. For others it might be navigating the independence of college, prioritizing tasks, and getting started on tasks when that’s really the last thing they want to do. Whatever your story, we’re happy to help.
Wesley Shelley & Associates
7400 Beaufont Springs Dr, Suite 300
Richmond, VA 23225
(804) 663-8347
ADD and ADHD testing for kids, teens, and adults
ADD and ADHD testing includes a lot. For kids and teens, we start with a parent interview that’s often between one and one-and-a-half hours. It’s during this time that we clarify goals for the evaluation and what progress looks like, so that we can keep focused on this end goal. Afterwards, there is the direct testing session. For kindergarten through second grade kids, this could be about two hours. For older kids and tweens, this could last about three hours. And for our teens and adults, we’re often pushing four hours (and sometimes even more). That’s why we say bring a heavy snack and water. Since there is no single test for ADD or ADHD, our job is to triangulate data. So, we have a bunch of different tasks, and since ADD/ADHD is a rule-out diagnosis, we also strive to understand what (if any) impact there is from sleep, anxiety and stress, depression, and more. For teens and adults, expect lots of talking in addition to tests. And part of triangulating data is talking with other people who know our client well. For kids, this means getting teacher input. For adults, this means getting input from family or roommates who know them well.
Now, after everything is said and done, we forward you a report and set up a day and time to review results. For children and teens, we’re happy to offer informing sessions for them. To help them wrap their head around what all this means. And it’s at these meetings when we come up with a gameplan to move forward. What we don’t want to do is dump-truck our clients, as in “Here are two dozen recommendations for you, now good luck!” This is ridiculous. So, we talk through recommendations and–most importantly–we prioritize. We make sure that the plan moving forward is clear and do-able. No dump-trucking here.
Why choose us for ADHD testing?
We’ve worked in schools long enough, and we’ve worked in private practice long enough to know this: not all evaluations are created equal. We have two simple goals. First, we go to great efforts to empower our clients with knowledge and understanding. That’s why we strive to make our reports clear, detailed, and also accessible. No psycho-babble jargon. After all, the more our clients understand about themselves and their brain, the more empowered they are. Our second goal is this: making this process personal. We’ve worked in enough systems to know that sometimes–oftentimes–evaluations can be rushed, and evaluations should NEVER be rushed. We value truly taking our time to understand each one of our clients–whether it’s a family with a little kid, a teenager who’s not so sure he even wants an evaluation, or a college student or adult who’s skated by for years. Evaluations shouldn’t be rushed, and we are a small business who values connection and relationship.
Also know this, I (Wes) do not believe in hiring psychologists. I do, however, believe in training psychologists. What I mean is this, the values that I have are the values that my staff have. And their passion and–more importantly–their skills, these are top notch. Because I have supervised each of them for over a year, because we check in regularly about serving clients well, we check in about doing better and being better. After all, in this world there is goodness and beauty in doing our job well, no matter the job. It’s Rick who primarily sees clients in Richmond, so to know him a bit more, check out his bio on our about page.
One more thing. We also leave space in our schedules to support families after the evaluation process. For kids, this could mean helping parents navigate support at school, whether this is 504 accommodations, Special Education, or similar. We can and do even attend school meetings with parents. Or, maybe this is tweaking how we parent kids who–let’s be honest–can be really challenging to parent. For teens and adults, there are times when we meet with them after testing–like setting up new rhythms and routines so that college starts to go better. We’re flexible, and not many of our clients and families have the same exact needs, but we’re here to listen and make sure they are supported for the long haul.
Mom & Special Education teacher
“I sought out Wes’ services during my son’s senior year of high school when I was looking to obtain updated testing for accommodations as he transitioned to college. Throughout my 20+ year career as a special education teacher, transition specialist, and reading specialist, I have worked with many wonderful school psychologists and reviewed numerous testing reports. However, after reading Wes’ testing report for my son, I was more than impressed and simply blown away by his work. His report was like no other I had ever read. Furthermore, he was able to hone in and truly understand the way my child learns. Most importantly, Wes met with my son to review the testing in a manner that enabled him to confidently and independently advocate his learning needs to his college advisors and professors. My son and I are grateful for Wes’ professional help and I truly wish I would have found Wes earlier in my son’s academic career.”
Costs and insurance for ADHD testing Richmond
Our current fee for an ADHD evaluation is $2,100.
ADHD evaluations are investments. Most are literally four hours of face-to-face time. Add to that interviews with parents, teachers, sifting through all the data, writing the report, and taking time to review results with you—it’s a lot. And for kids we often set aside a time to review results with them, and in a way that they can understand. I have no doubt that you’d be able to find ADHD testing for less money, and I also have no doubt that you’d be able to find ADHD testing for more. But please know this, our fees are based on our core mission: to provide an excellent evaluation. This takes a lot more time than most, but we’ve heard from people time-and-again that it’s worth it.
Since we are an out-of-network provider, we do not accept insurance. Our services are considered self-pay. However, we are flexible, we do offer payment plans, and we gladly accept HSA and FSA cards. For more specific details, check out our fees page.
What Next?
Have more questions about ADHD testing in Richmond? Or, ready to schedule an appointment? Use the link below to schedule a phone call, or send us a message here.