Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Orly Calderon, Psy.D.

Second Advisor

Marc Diener, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Kim Miller, Ph.D.

Abstract

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and executive function deficits. The DSM-5-TR (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022), along with the DSM IV-TR (APA, 2000) and the DSM-5 (APA, 2013), emphasizes the behavioral aspects of ADHD while giving scant attention to executive function deficits, complicating diagnosis for clinicians and potentially resulting in misdiagnosis. This study seeks to identify the prevalence of ADHD diagnoses based on psychological evaluations where data from behavioral rating scales meet DSM criteria, but data from executive functioning measures do not, suggesting potential misdiagnosis. In this descriptive mixed design content analysis, the researcher analyzed data from 14 assessment cases to answer the question, “What is the prevalence of diagnosing children with ADHD when assessment data support behavioral symptomatology of ADHD, but executive functioning is intact?” Guided by Bruchmüller et al. (2012), this study hypothesizes that 15% of psychological evaluations of children from the Psychological Services Center at Long Island University Post that result in ADHD diagnosis will represent misdiagnosis due to behavioral symptomatology without executive function impairment indicators. This hypothesis aimed to unveil whether clinicians heavily depend on behavioral signs, risking misdiagnosis due to symptom overlaps with other conditions while disregarding ADHD's vital executive function component. The hypothesis was confirmed and underscored the necessity for enhanced clinician ADHD training.

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