ADHD Testing & Treatment
A real ADHD evaluation is not a questionnaire. It is a structured assessment that tells you whether ADHD is what is going on — and what is going on if it is not.
Attention problems have a long list of possible causes, and several of them look identical from the outside. Anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, learning disabilities and trauma all produce difficulty concentrating. Treating the wrong one wastes months.
That is the case for a comprehensive evaluation rather than a screening questionnaire: it answers the diagnostic question properly, and it produces a written report that schools and physicians can actually act on.
We see clients at our Northbrook office on Academy Drive and our Libertyville office on Hollister Drive, and by telehealth anywhere in Illinois.
When an evaluation is worth it
- A child who is bright and capable but whose output does not match it
- A teacher has suggested an evaluation, or the school is discussing a 504 plan or IEP
- An adult who has suspected ADHD for years, often after a child was diagnosed
- Treatment for anxiety or depression has helped, and the attention problems have not moved
- Difficulty with organisation, deadlines and follow-through that has persisted across jobs or schools
- A previous diagnosis made quickly, which has never quite fitted
What the evaluation involves
A comprehensive evaluation combines a detailed clinical and developmental history, standardised measures completed by you and — for children — by parents and teachers, and direct testing of attention, working memory and executive function. The point of the combination is to distinguish ADHD from the conditions that mimic it.
You get a written report with the findings, the diagnosis or its absence, and specific recommendations: school accommodations, workplace strategies, treatment options, and whether a medication consultation is worth having with your physician.
Where the evaluation shows working memory as a meaningful weak point, we offer Cogmed — a five-week coached training programme that few practices in the area provide. We are straight about its limits: the evidence for gains in trained working memory is good, evidence for how far those gains transfer is mixed, and it is not a replacement for comprehensive treatment.
Clinicians who work in this area
Matched from each clinician's own stated specialisms. Our Intake Team will pair you with the right person for your situation rather than the next available slot.
- Marina Shakhman, Psy.D.Licensed Clinical Psychologist · Clinical Director
- Marisa Kunz, Psy.D.Licensed Clinical Psychologist
- Benjamin Michaels, Psy.D.Licensed Clinical Psychologist
- Kelsey Salsman, MA, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor
- Gabby Clow, LPCLicensed Professional Counselor
- Claire Manley, LCPCLicensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Insurance, including Medicare
Grand Oaks Behavioral Health is in-network with most major plans — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Aetna, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Evernorth (Cigna), UnitedHealthcare, BCBS Community Medicaid, Oscar — and with Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, which a good number of behavioral health practices in the area do not accept. We also take BCBS Community Medicaid. Our Intake Team verifies your specific benefits and tells you your cost before your first appointment.
Where we see clients
604 Academy Drive, Northbrook, IL 60062 and 1800 Hollister Drive, Suite 201, Libertyville, IL 60048, plus telehealth anywhere in Illinois. We regularly see clients from Northbrook, Glenview, Deerfield, Highland Park, Northfield, Wilmette and across Lake County and the North Shore.
Common questions
Testing time varies with age and with what else needs ruling out, and is usually spread across appointments rather than done in one sitting. Our Intake Team will give you the specific time commitment and the cost before you book, rather than after.
Licensed Psychologists diagnose ADHD, and comprehensive psychological testing by a Psychologist is the most thorough diagnostic route available. What we do not do is prescribe — Illinois Psychologists do not. If medication is worth considering, the report goes to your physician or a prescriber, which is how most people proceed.
Yes. Our comprehensive evaluations produce a full written report suitable for school use, including for 504 plan and IEP discussions, with specific recommended accommodations rather than general advice.
Yes, and a good number do — frequently after a child is diagnosed and the description sounds familiar. Adult evaluation uses age-appropriate measures and takes a careful developmental history, because the diagnostic criteria require symptoms to have been present in childhood even where nobody noticed at the time.
Related
Not sure which of these fits? That is what the first call is for. Phone (847) 549-1189 and our Intake Team will talk it through with you before anything is booked.
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