S3E32 - ADHD Diagnosis: What Parents Need to Think Through

Play Therapy Parenting: Real Parenting Questions Answered by a Child Therapist · Mar 5, 2026 · 13m · transcript

In this episode, I answer a question from a mom who is trying to decide whether to pursue an ADHD evaluation for her six-year-old while he is already in play therapy. I walk through the larger issue many parents face — the pressure to evaluate, diagnose, and medicate quickly — and how that differs from a child-centered approach that looks at the whole child first. I explain why behavior should never be reduced to a snapshot moment in time and why dysregulation, anxiety, power struggles, and lack of emotional vocabulary can often look like ADHD on the surface.

I also clarify that an evaluation…