ADHD Assessment in Northwest Arkansas
You may have heard that ADHD can only be "tested for." Clinical guidelines describe two different tools. A diagnostic assessment (structured DSM-5-TR clinical interview, validated rating scales, and history from more than one setting) answers most ADHD questions, and our licensed clinicians provide it here in Bentonville and by telehealth. Formal psychometric testing answers a narrower set of questions; when your situation calls for it, we refer you to a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PhD/PsyD) we trust. Book a free 15-minute consultation → or take the free 2-minute screener ↓
An estimated 15.5 million U.S. adults (6.0%) have a current ADHD diagnosis, and more than half received that diagnosis in adulthood (CDC, 2024). Most of those diagnoses rest on a careful diagnostic assessment, not a psychometric battery: national guidelines call for DSM criteria, validated rating scales, and evidence from more than one setting (Wolraich et al., 2019). For the narrower questions an interview can't answer, formal testing surfaces information other methods miss (Meyer et al., 2001), and we refer those cases out. Below: which tool fits your question, and exactly what our assessment includes.
Free 2-Minute Adult ADHD Screener (ASRS v1.1)
The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1) Part A is a 6-question screener developed with the World Health Organization. In published validation against blind clinical diagnosis, it achieves 68.7% sensitivity and 99.5% specificity (Kessler et al., 2005). It is a screening tool for adults 18 and older, not a diagnosis; for children and teens, assessment uses parent and teacher rating scales instead. Your answers stay on this page.
Instructions: Over the past 6 months, how often have you experienced each of the following? Select the answer that best describes you.
Your Results
A screener is not a diagnosis. Whatever your score, a licensed clinician can help you interpret it in the context of your history.
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Take the Next Step
Whatever your screener shows, the next step is the same: a free 15-minute consultation where a licensed clinician hears your question and tells you honestly whether a diagnostic assessment here, or a testing referral, fits your situation.
Book Your Free ConsultationASRS v1.1 Screener © World Health Organization. Reproduced for educational screening; not a diagnostic instrument.
Testing and assessment are two different tools
Around Northwest Arkansas you'll hear that ADHD requires "testing." The clinical guidelines are more precise: ADHD is a clinical diagnosis, and for most people the standard of care is a diagnostic assessment. Formal psychometric testing is a valuable, specialized tool for a narrower set of questions. Neither replaces the other; the right question is which one your situation calls for.
Diagnostic ADHD assessment · available at ZipHealthy
A structured clinical interview against DSM-5-TR criteria, validated rating scales, and history from more than one setting, integrated by a licensed clinician into a diagnosis and treatment plan. The American Academy of Pediatrics' 2019 clinical practice guideline for children bases diagnosis on the same elements (DSM criteria, validated rating scales, and evidence from more than one setting) and notes that neuropsychological testing has not been found to improve diagnostic accuracy in most cases (Wolraich et al., 2019). The AACAP practice parameter for children and adolescents says it just as plainly in a recommendation heading: psychological and neuropsychological tests are not mandatory for the diagnosis of ADHD (Pliszka, 2007). For adults, the European Consensus Statement reaches the same conclusion (Kooij et al., 2019), and CHADD lists clinical social workers among the licensed professionals who conduct ADHD evaluations (CHADD). In Arkansas, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders is within the licensed scope of a Licensed Certified Social Worker (Ark. Code Ann. §17-103-103).
Formal psychometric testing · referred to psychologists
A standardized battery administered, scored, and interpreted by a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PhD/PsyD): cognitive and academic measures, computerized attention tasks, and personality instruments matched to a specific referral question. It shines where an interview can't reach: suspected learning disorders, intellectual or cognitive questions, and complex differentials (Meyer et al., 2001). ZipHealthy does not perform psychometric testing; when it's the right tool, we connect you with a psychologist in Northwest Arkansas we trust, at no cost for the referral. The psychologists who provide this service are colleagues, not competitors: formal testing is their specialty, some of our assessments end with a referral out, and clients sometimes come to us with a psychologist's report in hand.
ADHD Assessment, Available Now
Diagnostic ADHD assessment with our licensed clinicians, in Bentonville or by telehealth. Start with a free 15-minute consultation to see whether assessment or a testing referral fits your situation.
What our ADHD assessment includes
Every assessment combines the four components below, following DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. How many appointments your question needs depends on your history and whether collateral raters are involved; we tell you what to expect at the free consultation. Appointments are billed like standard therapy sessions (see our transparent rates), with a Good Faith Estimate up front for self-pay and insurance benefits verified before your first appointment.
1. Structured diagnostic interview
A thorough clinical interview covering DSM-5-TR criteria for ADHD: ≥5 symptoms (adults) of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity, onset before age 12, present in ≥2 settings, and producing functional impairment. Includes differential-diagnosis screening for anxiety, mood disorders, learning disorders, and sleep disorders.
2. Validated rating scales
For adults, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1), developed with the WHO; in published validation against blind clinical diagnosis, the 6-item screener achieves 68.7% sensitivity and 99.5% specificity (Kessler et al., 2005). For children, the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scales, completed by parents and teachers; the parent scale is validated as reliable in referred clinical populations (Wolraich et al., 2003).
3. Collateral and multi-setting history
DSM-5-TR requires evidence of symptoms in two or more settings, so we gather input from people who know you across contexts: a partner, parent, or close friend for adults; parent and teacher rating scales for children, as the AAP guideline directs (Wolraich et al., 2019). Where relevant, school records, old report cards, and work history help establish that symptoms began before age 12.
4. Feedback and written diagnostic summary
The assessment closes with a feedback appointment in which your clinician walks through the findings, the diagnostic conclusion (including when the answer is "this isn't ADHD" and what better explains the picture), and specific treatment recommendations. A written diagnostic summary follows, and with your authorization we share it with your prescriber, physician, school, or employer.
When formal psychometric testing is the right next step
Some questions genuinely need a psychologist's battery, and pretending otherwise would be a disservice. We refer you out (at no cost for the referral) when one or more of the following applies.
Most ADHD questions are answered by a diagnostic assessment, available here now. When a full battery is the right tool, we refer you to Licensed Clinical Psychologists (PhD/PsyD) we trust.
Book Free Consultation → Request a Testing ReferralHow the assessment works
Three stages: a free fit consultation, the diagnostic appointments, and a feedback meeting with a written summary your treatment team can act on.
Free 15-Minute Consultation
A no-cost, no-commitment call to hear your question and tell you honestly which tool fits: a diagnostic assessment here, or a referral to a psychologist for formal testing. If it's the latter, we connect you and you've lost nothing.
Diagnostic Appointments
A structured clinical interview against DSM-5-TR criteria, validated rating scales (with collateral raters where available), developmental history, and screening for the conditions that mimic or travel with ADHD. Completed in person or by telehealth; at the consultation we tell you how many appointments your question needs.
Feedback & Written Summary
Your clinician walks through the findings and diagnostic conclusion with you, then provides a written diagnostic summary with specific treatment recommendations. With your authorization, we share it with your prescriber, physician, school, or employer, and coordinate next steps.
What this assessment will not do
It will not prescribe or adjust medication: ZipHealthy does not prescribe, and if medication is a question, the written summary goes to your physician, psychiatrist, or PMHNP, who makes that decision. It will not guarantee school or workplace accommodations: those decisions rest with the institution. One thing families should know: if a school suggests you must purchase private testing before your child can be evaluated or supported, federal law says otherwise. Under IDEA and Section 504, the school district is responsible for conducting its own evaluation at no cost to you (U.S. Dept. of Education, OCR), and a diagnostic assessment from a licensed clinician is valid documentation of ADHD. With your authorization, we communicate with your school directly. It is not a forensic or custody evaluation. And it is not an online self-test: the value comes from a licensed clinician's integration of multiple data sources against DSM-5-TR criteria, including telling you when the answer is not ADHD.
After the evaluation: how this fits with the rest of your care
An assessment is the start of a treatment plan, not the end. Depending on what we find, the written summary typically supports one or more of the following paths:
- Medication consultation — if pharmacotherapy is a question, the written summary goes to your primary-care physician, psychiatrist, or PMHNP, who evaluates and decides; a large network meta-analysis of 133 randomized trials supports medication as an effective short-term treatment for many children and adults with ADHD (Cortese et al., 2018). ZipHealthy does not prescribe.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for residual symptoms — in a randomized controlled trial of adults already on ADHD medication with persistent symptoms, adding CBT produced significantly more responders than relaxation with educational support (53% vs. 23% on the Clinical Global Impression scale; odds ratio 3.80, 95% CI 1.50–9.59), with gains maintained at 6 and 12 months (Safren et al., 2010). We offer CBT in our practice and can begin once the evaluation is complete.
- School and workplace accommodations — the written summary includes specific recommendations (extended time, distraction-reduced environment, scheduled breaks, etc.) that can support ADA and school accommodation requests. Decisions rest with the school, employer, or testing body, and a licensed clinician's diagnostic assessment is valid ADHD documentation. For public schools, IDEA and Section 504 make the district responsible for its own evaluation at no cost to families; no one is required to purchase private testing first. Where a private organization's published policy calls for additional measures, we help you confirm what's actually required before you spend anything.
- Family or couples therapy — available in our practice if the report identifies relational impact.
Work with your brain, not against it...
ADHD Focus & Organization Toolkit
Focus and task-initiation strategies, body-doubling and time-blocking templates, organization systems, and routine builders designed for ADHD brains. A great starting point alongside assessment results.
Get the Toolkit — $34.99Instant PDF download · Designed by our licensed clinicians
For educational and personal development purposes. Not a substitute for professional therapy.
Need Formal Testing? Request a Referral
Our licensed clinicians provide diagnostic ADHD assessment. Formal psychometric test batteries are a different service: under Arkansas law they fall within the practice of psychology (Ark. Code Ann. §17-97-101 et seq.) and outside the scope of clinical social work, so ZipHealthy does not offer them. If your situation calls for a full battery, tell us about it in the form and we'll connect you with a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PhD/PsyD) in Northwest Arkansas we trust, at no cost for the referral.
Start Your ADHD Assessment
Diagnostic ADHD assessment with licensed clinicians, in Bentonville or by telehealth. When a full battery is the right next step instead, we refer you to a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (PhD/PsyD) we trust.
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