We help you prepare before your first visit.
We understand the frustration and confusion that you may have regarding questions about insurance benefits and costs to wondering if the ADHD Wellness Center’s approach is for your family. We have specially trained, compassionate patient coordinators who walk you through the new patient process. We start by getting to know our patients before arrival, so we’ll ask for any previous medical records or testing that has been completed. We’ll also ask you to complete an online assessment and possibly questionnaires to help maximize our time together on the first visit.
We first try to understand our patient’s needs by first, listening to their concerns. We listen to the parents of our pediatric patients and the significant others of our adult patients. We welcome information from teachers and other professionals who have been involved in caring for you or your loved one. Enough one-on-one time with your treatment team is the cornerstone of the ADHD Wellness Center experience.
Our testing system uses objective assessment formats. It begins at home with online questionnaires that identify information about a person’s symptoms that might be confused with ADHD, which could likely lead to the wrong diagnosis. These screening tools also suggest when there is more going on. This is helpful because half of ADHD patients have another significant problem or diagnosis. We will ask that you complete these assessments before you come in for your scheduled visit. Additional testing may be recommended after clinical evaluations are completed. Although testing used alone can NOT conclude ADHD, it is helpful with clarifying symptoms, which increases the likelihood of establishing an accurate diagnosis(es).
We diagnose ADHD using evidence-based measurements that conform to the professional guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, we also tell patients when they DON’T have ADHD! And when more information is needed, we will tell you that, too. We continue to work with families to arrive at the correct diagnosis. We don’t rush, but we also don’t prolong the process.
Once we establish the diagnosis, we work with you to individualize a treatment plan based on the best available science and treatment options. There’s also an art to ADHD treatment—our compassion, respect for your concerns and experience ensure that the patient and his/her family are treated thoughtfully. When medication is recommended, our goal is to help patients achieve self-control. We equivocally recognize the importance of implementing behavior management into your schedule, creating a routine/structure, which decreases the odds of ADHD affecting your optimal functioning.
Frequent follow up is one of the single most important ways to improve outcome in ADHD care. The medications that are used to treat ADHD have side effects and families may worry about the horror stories they have heard. We are available by phone, email and emergent office visits, should problems arise. Regular visits are scheduled every few weeks until we find just the right dose of the right medication for the patient. We call this dose optimization, and the patient is not alone trying to get there. After the optimal dose is found, we continue with regular follow up visits to monitor for changes or new problems as well as re-evaluate the need for continuing the medication. Medication doses are adjusted and ongoing behavioral or academic problems are addressed. Behavioral, sleep, nutrition and activity recommendations are often included in the treatment plan.
Just the right amount of time and testing to get the right diagnosis—no rush job but no drawn out multi-provider evaluation that provides answers to questions you weren’t asking at a cost that can surprise you. Just the right amount of follow up—no leaving you with that “call us if you have to” feeling or, on the other extreme, requiring that you come to the office monthly to pick up a prescription or have an office visit. Just the right amount of medication, from none at all to finding the optimal dose whether it’s small or large, in a combination of using behavior techniques. Just the right amount of reassurance—things can get better and if they appear to become worse, Dr. Brown is available and knowledgeable. At ADHD Wellness Center, we keep working with you to find a just-right individual solution that allows each patient with ADHD to be themselves but more focused!
