ADHD Evaluation for Young Adults

Ages 18-25

While ADHD is most often diagnosed in childhood, many young adults seek an evaluation for the first time in college or early adulthood — often after academic, work, or daily-life demands increase in ways that make longstanding attention or organization struggles harder to manage. The core symptoms of ADHD look similar across ages, but how it shows up — and how it gets missed — can look quite different in a young adult than in a child. Common signs include the following: 

  • Disorganization or difficulty managing time and deadlines
  • Trouble sustaining attention or concentration, especially on less-stimulating tasks
  • Difficulty prioritizing tasks or knowing where to start
  • A pattern of starting projects that don't get completed
  • Impulsivity in decisions, spending, or conversation
  • Difficulty managing emotions as they arise

Why a comprehensive evaluation?

ADHD affects what clinicians call executive functions — the mental processes that let us prioritize tasks, manage time, regulate emotion, and follow through on long-term goals. In young adults, these challenges often surface as difficulty managing coursework, disorganization, missed deadlines, or a pattern of starting projects that don't get finished. Because these same struggles can also stem from anxiety, a learning difference, or the general adjustment demands of early adulthood, a comprehensive evaluation — not just a checklist or brief screening — is what allows us to determine whether ADHD is the underlying cause, a contributing factor, or something else entirely.

Male student sitting in university classroom looking away and smiling. Man sitting in lecture in high school classroom.

What to Expect

  • Clinical Interview

    We discuss your history, current concerns, and how these challenges show up across school, work, and daily life.

  • Neuropsychological Testing

    A personalized testing battery assesses attention, executive functioning, memory, processing speed, and cognitive ability, along with standardized rating scales.

  • Assessment of Psychological Functioning

    We also screen for conditions that commonly co-occur with or mimic ADHD in young adults, including anxiety and depression.

  • Collateral Information

    Because an ADHD diagnosis requires that symptoms were present from an earlier age, we often ask a parent or someone who knew you well as a child to provide developmental history or complete a rating scale. This isn't about doubting your own account — it's a standard part of establishing that symptoms go back far enough to meet diagnostic criteria, and it often adds helpful context.

  • Feedback Session

    We walk you through the results in plain language and provide a written report with specific, individualized recommendations.

FAQs

Let's Get Started!

I am looking forward to helping you and your family! Our tailored assessments will help uncover your child’s unique strengths and areas for growth, providing the tools needed for success. Contact us to get started today!

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