I'm Dr. Allisen Landry, Pediatric Neuropsychologist
Many families come to me after months of wondering, watching, and waiting for things to click. Here are some signs that a comprehensive assessment might be the right next step:
A comprehensive ADHD assessment is not just an attention test. I look at multiple areas of the brain that might be contributing to your child’s struggles, including memory, processing speed, executive functioning, language, learning, emotional regulation, and more. That means a longer evaluation day, typically around five hours of in-person testing, but it also means a fuller, more accurate picture of your child.
Some evaluations focus only on the main concern. I’ve found that looking at the full picture often leads to better answers. Children with ADHD also have higher rates of anxiety and learning differences, and identifying everything at once means the plan your family leaves with is actually matched to what’s going on.
I became a pediatric neuropsychologist because I believe every child deserves to be understood, not just managed. The families I work with often arrive exhausted from the guessing game, and what I give them is something concrete: a real explanation of how their child’s brain works, delivered in language they can actually use. I write my reports for parents and teachers, not just for other clinicians. Clear, readable, and specific to your child.
I hold a doctorate in clinical psychology from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. I also completed internship training in pediatric neuropsychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, and a 2-year pediatric neuropsychology fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. I’ve been in private practice in Bellevue since 2020, working with children, teens, and young adults ages 5 to 25. What I care about most is making sure your family leaves with clarity, not just a diagnosis.
ADHD affects far more than attention. It shapes how a child processes information, manages emotions, organizes their day, and experiences learning. It is also one of the most commonly misunderstood neurodevelopmental conditions in children.
ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how the brain manages and regulates attention, impulse control, and activity level. It is not a character flaw, a parenting failure, or a sign that a child isn’t trying. It reflects genuine differences in how the brain is wired, particularly in the prefrontal systems that govern focus, planning, and self-regulation.
In the children I evaluate, ADHD often shows up alongside real strengths: creativity, high energy, passionate curiosity, and the ability to hyperfocus on things that genuinely engage them. A thorough evaluation captures both sides of the picture.
ADHD presents differently from child to child. Common symptoms in children include:
ADHD is classified into three presentations: predominantly inattentive, predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, and combined. Many children, particularly girls, present with the inattentive type and go unidentified for years because their symptoms are quieter and they may mask their symptoms.
One of the most common questions families bring to an evaluation is whether what they’re seeing is truly ADHD or simply age-appropriate behavior. Active kids, daydreamers, and slow starters don’t necessarily have ADHD. The distinction lies in severity, persistence, and impairment: the symptoms have to show up across multiple settings, last for at least six months, and meaningfully interfere with daily functioning.
A comprehensive evaluation can help bring much clearer answers. It looks at the full developmental picture, rules out other causes, and gives you something more reliable than a checklist.
Children with ADHD have higher rates of anxiety, learning disabilities, and mood challenges than the general population. In practice, children with ADHD often also experience anxiety or learning differences.
This is one of the most important reasons for a comprehensive battery rather than a targeted screen. Children rarely come with just one thing going on, and an evaluation that reflects the whole child leads to recommendations that actually work.
Many different conditions can look like ADHD on the surface. For example, anxiety, learning differences, sleep difficulties, or even high cognitive ability (as seen in twice-exceptional children) can lead to inattention, restlessness, or inconsistent performance. Without a comprehensive evaluation, these underlying factors can be missed, leading to incomplete or inaccurate conclusions. A thorough assessment helps clarify whether symptoms are truly due to ADHD or better explained by something else, so that support and recommendations are appropriately targeted.
An ADHD diagnosis requires a thorough clinical evaluation, not just a rating scale filled out by a teacher. Diagnosing ADHD in children involves gathering a full developmental history, observing behavior across settings, administering standardized cognitive and attention testing, and ruling out other conditions that can produce similar symptoms. ADHD can be diagnosed by qualified medical and mental health professionals, including psychologists, neuropsychologists, pediatricians, and psychiatrists.
Diagnosis through a pediatrician’s office or a brief school screening can identify children who may need more support, but it rarely produces the specificity and documentation needed for school accommodations, treatment planning, or a complete understanding of the child’s profile.
ADHD has historically been associated with hyperactive boys, but that picture has changed significantly. Girls with ADHD are more likely to present with inattentive symptoms—such as daydreaming, difficulty organizing, emotional sensitivity, and quieter, less disruptive struggles. They also tend to mask their difficulties more, often working hard to compensate, stay organized, or fit in socially, which can make their challenges less visible to others. Because their struggles are more internalized and often attributed to personality (e.g., being “sensitive” or “scattered”) rather than underlying neurodevelopmental differences, girls are frequently overlooked and diagnosed later or less often than boys.
I often see teenage girls referred for evaluation after years of working harder than everyone else and still falling short. Understanding what’s actually going on changes everything for them.
ADHD affects more than school performance. It shapes how a child experiences friendships, manages frustration, handles transitions, and moves through daily routines. Families often describe the exhaustion of the homework battle, the lost items, the meltdowns at the end of a long day when the effort to hold it together finally runs out.
For many children with ADHD, daily life requires significantly more cognitive and emotional effort than it does for their neurotypical peers. The evaluation helps explain why, and the recommendations help reduce that burden in practical ways.
A comprehensive assessment at Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology is typically around five hours of in-person testing. The battery covers all major areas of brain function, not only attention, so that nothing important gets missed. After testing, I will write a detailed report and schedule a separate feedback appointment to walk your family through the findings.
Every evaluation begins with a thorough intake. A couple of weeks before the testing day, I gather a full picture of your child’s developmental history, family background, academic record, and the specific concerns that brought you in. This context is as important as any test score.
Many evaluators skip this step or rush through it. I don’t. Understanding your child’s story before I sit down with them allows me to interpret the data in a way that’s actually specific to your child, not a template.
Cognitive testing looks at how your child processes information: verbal reasoning, visual-spatial thinking, working memory, and processing speed. This part of the battery often reveals important patterns, including whether a child is performing below their intellectual potential in certain areas, or whether strengths in one domain are masking struggles in another.
This is an important part of understanding attention and executive functioning within the broader evaluation. I measure sustained attention, impulse control, cognitive flexibility, and the ability to plan and organize. I use standardized tests, behavioral observation, and behavioral rating scales completed by parents and teachers to capture how these challenges show up across settings, not just in a testing room.
Children with ADHD often have unidentified learning differences in reading, math, or writing. Academic achievement testing measures current skill levels against age and grade expectations, and helps determine whether a learning disability is contributing to the struggles families are seeing at school. This is essential for IEP and 504 documentation.
ADHD rarely travels alone. I assess for anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation as part of every evaluation, using both standardized rating scales and clinical observation. Understanding the emotional landscape helps separate what’s ADHD, what’s anxiety, and what’s a response to years of academic and social struggle.
The written report is one of the things I work hardest on. I aim to create reports that parents and teachers can actually read and use—written in clear, straightforward language, with a well-organized summary of findings and specific recommendations for school, home, and any additional supports.
I also understand that these reports are detailed and can feel overwhelming at first. That’s completely normal. Most families find it helpful to read through the report more than once and take time to digest the information, and we go through everything together during the feedback session so you feel clear on what it all means and what to do next.
I don’t cut and paste from other reports. Every report is written specifically for your child, and I take the time to make sure it reflects their full profile, not just a generic ADHD template.
Three to four weeks after the evaluation day, I send a draft of the report to the family the day before our feedback appointment. The feedback session is conducted online and is where we spend the most time together. I walk through the findings, answer questions, and make sure you leave with a clear understanding of what we found and what to do about it.
Some families want to go through every score. Others prefer a high-level summary focused on recommendations. I follow your lead.
Most families come in not quite sure what to expect. That’s completely normal. Here is how the process works from start to finish:
A comprehensive assessment includes a clinical interview, standardized cognitive testing, attention and executive functioning assessment, academic achievement testing, and parent and teacher rating scales. Testing takes approximately five hours in person, followed by a written report and a feedback session three weeks later.
Many providers offer either targeted ADHD assessments or comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations:
At Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology, all assessments for children are comprehensive evaluations.
Consider an evaluation if your child:
ADHD can sometimes be assessed as early as ages 4 to 5, though interpretation at younger ages can be complex. At Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology, evaluations begin at age 5. ADHD affects approximately 11 percent of school-age children in the United States. Earlier identification leads to earlier support. At Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology, evaluations are available for children, teens, and young adults ages 5 to 25.
An evaluation is the assessment process. A diagnosis is the conclusion that may result from it. Not every evaluation ends in an ADHD diagnosis. Sometimes what looks like ADHD is better explained by anxiety, a learning difference, or sleep problems. The evaluation is how you find out what is actually happening.
In Washington state, an ADHD diagnosis requires DSM-5 criteria: symptoms present in multiple settings, persisting for at least six months, and causing meaningful impairment. For IEP and 504 documentation, a comprehensive evaluation by a licensed psychologist or neuropsychologist produces the most complete results. Dr. Allisen Landry, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist in Washington state, and her evaluations meet documentation requirements for school supports, 504 plans, and college accommodation requests.
Children with ADHD have significantly higher rates of co-occurring anxiety, learning disabilities, and mood challenges. A brief evaluation that tests only attention can miss all of these. Getting a partial picture and needing another evaluation later is costly in time, money, and emotional energy.
A pediatrician screening can be a helpful first step, typically a brief questionnaire designed to flag children who may benefit from further evaluation. A comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation goes much deeper and includes:
Diagnosing ADHD in children requires:
DSM-5 criteria require that symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity have persisted for at least six months, appear across more than one setting, and meaningfully interfere with daily functioning. A comprehensive evaluation applies these criteria carefully to your child’s individual profile rather than relying on a brief questionnaire.
A comprehensive evaluation at Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology takes approximately five hours of in-person testing. That length is intentional. After the testing day, the written report is ready within three weeks, at which point a feedback appointment is scheduled online.
Before the evaluation day:
Licensed psychologists and neuropsychologists are qualified to conduct comprehensive assessments of ADHD for children. Pediatricians, teachers, and school counselors can flag children who may need further evaluation but are not trained to administer or interpret a full neuropsychological battery. A pediatric neuropsychologist brings specialized training in child development, brain-behavior relationships, and assessment methodology.
Families in Bellevue and the greater Seattle area have several options:
ADHD, or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting how the brain manages attention, impulse control, and activity level. It reflects genuine differences in brain wiring, particularly in the prefrontal systems governing focus, planning, and self-regulation. It is not a character flaw or parenting failure.
Common symptoms include:
ADHD is classified into three presentations:
Active and distracted kids are not automatically kids with ADHD. The distinction is severity, persistence, and impairment: symptoms must appear across multiple settings, last at least six months, and meaningfully interfere with functioning. A comprehensive evaluation is how you get a much clearer answer.
Girls with ADHD are more likely to present with inattentive symptoms: daydreaming, difficulty organizing, emotional sensitivity, and quiet struggles that teachers and parents often attribute to personality rather than neurology. As a result, girls are diagnosed later and at lower rates. Many teenage girls arrive at evaluation after years of working harder than everyone else and still falling short, with no one having connected the dots.
Children with ADHD have significantly higher rates of:
This is why a comprehensive battery matters. Children rarely come with just one thing going on.
ADHD affects more than academics. It shapes friendships, frustration tolerance, transitions, and daily routines. Families often describe the homework battle, the lost items, and the meltdowns at the end of the day when the effort to hold things together finally runs out. For many children, daily life requires significantly more cognitive and emotional energy than it does for their peers.
Behavioral therapy is one of the most well-supported treatments for ADHD in children. Common components include:
Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology does not provide behavioral therapy. A comprehensive evaluation identifies exactly which strategies are most likely to work for your child, giving therapists, teachers, and parents a specific, actionable plan.
Medication for ADHD in children is managed by a pediatrician, developmental pediatrician, or child psychiatrist. The two main categories are stimulant medications and non-stimulant medications. Stimulants have the strongest evidence base for reducing core ADHD symptoms. Medication management involves adjusting type, dose, and timing over time.
For most children, an individualized treatment plan combines:
Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology does not prescribe medication. Dr. Landry’s evaluation report gives prescribers and treatment teams the neuropsychological profile needed to build a plan specific to your child.
Virtual ADHD care has expanded significantly in Washington state. Telehealth options for ongoing treatment for ADHD include:
Most standardized neuropsychological testing is designed to be administered in person. Families who begin with virtual ADHD care are often ultimately referred for an in-person evaluation to establish a formal diagnosis and the documentation schools require.
Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology does not offer telehealth evaluations. All assessments are conducted in person at the Bellevue office.
Earlier evaluation is generally better. The sooner a child has an accurate picture of how their brain works, the sooner families and schools can put the right supports in place. Many families wait until struggles become severe, but by that point, the child has often spent years feeling behind without understanding why. I evaluate children starting at age 5.
Evaluation accuracy is highest when it includes:
A brief questionnaire-based screening is a useful starting point, but it produces far less detail. Comprehensiveness is directly related to accuracy.
Will My Child Be Labeled If We Get an Evaluation?
This is a very common and understandable concern. An evaluation is not about placing a label on your child—it’s about gaining clarity.
If a diagnosis is appropriate, it’s used as a tool to better understand your child’s needs and to help access the right supports (both in school and at home). It does not define your child or change who they are—it simply provides a shared language for understanding their experiences.
My evaluations are grounded in a strengths-based approach. That means we are just as focused on what your child does well as we are on where they may need support. The goal is to create a nuanced, balanced picture of how your child thinks, learns, and navigates the world.
Many families actually find that having an explanation is a relief. It often shifts the narrative from “something is wrong” to “this is how my child’s brain works—and here’s how we can support them effectively.”
This is genuinely useful information. A comprehensive evaluation that rules out ADHD often identifies what better explains the struggles: anxiety, a learning disability, processing difficulties, or a combination. You don’t leave without answers. You leave with an accurate picture and recommendations matched to what is actually going on.
This is extremely common, and it is one of the most important reasons a comprehensive evaluation matters. I assess for anxiety, learning disabilities, and mood challenges as part of every evaluation, even if the main question is ADHD. Understanding the full picture allows for recommendations that address everything your child is dealing with, not just the piece that brought you in.
Girls with ADHD are diagnosed at significantly lower rates than boys, and often years later. Because inattentive presentation is less visible than hyperactive presentation, the signs are routinely attributed to personality, anxiety, or effort. An evaluation is often the first time a family gets a clear explanation for years of quiet struggling.
Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology is located at 2310 130th Ave. NE, Suite B-203, Bellevue, WA 98005.
Scheduling begins with an initial consultation. We discuss your child’s history, I explain the evaluation process, and together we confirm whether a comprehensive assessment is the right fit. Pre-evaluation intake paperwork is completed before the testing day.
Most standardized neuropsychological assessment tools are designed and validated for in-person administration. At Northwest Pediatric Neuropsychology, all evaluations are conducted in person because the quality and consistency of results depend on a controlled testing environment.
For families seeking virtual ADHD care for ongoing treatment in Washington state, telehealth options are available through other providers. Once Dr. Landry’s evaluation is complete, the written report and recommendations support any virtual care your family pursues.
Yes. In-person evaluations are available at 2310 130th Ave. NE, Suite B-203, Bellevue, WA 98005, in the Wilburton/Bel-Red neighborhood. The office is accessible from nearby areas, including Bridle Trails, Crossroads, and Lake Hills.
Getting here:
If you are searching for assessments for children near me in Bellevue, WA, or the Wilburton and Bel-Red area, reach out to confirm availability and schedule an initial consultation.
Yes. Many families seek updated neuropsychological testing specifically for college accommodation requests. Most colleges and universities require documentation from a licensed psychologist or neuropsychologist using current, comprehensive assessment tools. Dr. Landry’s evaluations meet these requirements and include the standardized testing data, diagnostic conclusions, and functional impact statements that disability services offices typically require.
Every evaluation includes a detailed written report. What makes Dr. Landry’s reports different:
A consultation is how we begin. We’ll talk about what you’ve been noticing, I’ll share how the evaluation process works, and together we’ll figure out whether a comprehensive ADHD assessment is the right next step for your child. No pressure. No commitment. Just a straightforward conversation.
