ADHD: Assessment & Therapy

Dr. Arnold is a lifetime member of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and a member of APSARD (the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders). She attended both international conferences in 2026. These memberships reflect her lasting commitment to the field and keep her current with the latest research and best practices in ADHD and neurodevelopmental care.

Dr. Arnold’s history with ADHD…

ADHD runs in my family. I have it, my children have it, my father has it, and so do several other relatives, though I didn’t realize this until after I’d earned my doctorate. I understand ADHD both professionally and personally, from the inside.

I specialize in ADHD, and also in the executive function challenges that come with other neurotypes such as autism, dyslexia and anxiety. I completed my internship and post-doctoral residency at OHSU’s Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, and for more than 25 years I have helped children, teens and adults understand how their brains work, with executive function impairment being a primary challenge.

I’m a lifetime member of CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and a member of APSARD (the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders). I attended both of their international conferences in 2026. You can also watch me discuss helping children with ADHD thrive on KATU.

ADHD is widely misunderstood. It isn’t a lack of effort or intelligence. Yet many people with ADHD grow up feeling ashamed and embarrassed, quietly believing they’re lazy or stupid. I get it. Many of the people I work with are bright and capable, but exhausted from years of trying harder without understanding why things stay so hard; many have reached the point of burnout. For some, the struggle shows up at surprising times, like starting college or becoming a parent, when strategies that worked for years suddenly stop working. My goal is to help you build a “User’s Manual” for your brain: a science-based understanding of how you think, along with the self-esteem and self-advocacy to reach the goals that matter to you.

Understanding ADHD and Executive Functioning

The front of the brain manages a complex set of skills called executive functions. These include holding information in mind, shifting attention, blocking out distractions, planning ahead, learning from past experience, managing emotions and breaking big tasks into smaller goals.

For some people, executive function challenges are the primary difference, which is what we call ADHD. For others, these challenges come from something else, such as anxiety, depression, dyslexia or autism. Sorting out which is which is one of the most important parts of my work, because the right treatment depends on the right answer. Executive functions also keep developing into early adulthood, which is why teens face very specific challenges with attention.

Dr. Russell Barkley, one of the world’s leading ADHD researchers, summarizes these challenges well in this video:

Who I Help

Children and Teens (K–12)
ADHD can look very different from one child to the next. Some kids are hyperactive and impulsive, always moving and acting before they think. Others are quietly inattentive, daydreaming, losing track of instructions and easily overlooked, especially girls. Many are “time blind,” with little sense of how long things take or when something is due. They forget assignments, struggle to get started or melt down over homework, even when they’re bright and want to do well.

ADHD can be surprisingly hard to see, because parents often do the heavy lifting behind the scenes: reminding, organizing, checking backpacks and keeping everything on track. Families often come to me after hearing “he could do it if he just tried harder.” I help kids and parents understand what’s really going on and what actually helps, so parents don’t have to carry it all alone.

College Students
For many students, ADHD isn’t identified until college. At home, parents, teachers and a predictable schedule quietly held everything together. Then that structure disappears all at once, and a student who did well in high school suddenly falls behind, sometimes to the point of failing out of their first year. It’s frightening and discouraging, but it’s also very common, and it’s often the moment that finally reveals what’s been going on. With a clear diagnosis, accommodations and the right strategies, many of these students go on to thrive.

Adults
Many adults I work with were never identified as children. They managed for years on effort and ability, until the demands of work or a growing family outgrew their strategies. Along the way, many have changed jobs often or struggled in relationships, and some have turned to drugs or alcohol to cope with low self-esteem. By the time they reach me, many carry years of shame along with anxiety and stress. There’s no judgment here, just insight and a good plan. Understanding why things have been so hard is often the first step toward letting go of that shame.

Mothers and Young Parents
It’s common for new and young parents to develop anxiety while raising children and running a home, especially bright, capable adults whose ADHD was never identified. Research shows that ADHD diagnoses in women rise in the years after childbirth, peaking when children are two to five years old (Madsen et al., Journal of Attention Disorders, 2026). If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and you’re not failing.

When ADHD Hides: Dyslexia and Giftedness (2e)
ADHD often occurs alongside other differences, and each can make the other harder to see. Dyslexia is one of the most common examples; learn more on my page about the dual profile of dyslexia and ADHD.

Giftedness can hide ADHD too. “Twice-exceptional,” or 2e, describes people who are gifted and also have a learning difference, such as ADHD, dyslexia or autism. These are often the hardest kids and adults to identify, because each side hides the other. Their intelligence lets them compensate for years, so their ADHD goes unnoticed. At the same time, their ADHD holds back their performance, so their giftedness goes unrecognized too. On paper they can look “average,” while inside they’re working much harder than anyone realizes.

I catch these hidden profiles by looking at the whole picture, not just whether someone is keeping up. I pay close attention to the gap between a person’s strengths and the areas where they struggle, because that difference often tells an important story. I also listen carefully to the history: the bright kid whose grades never matched their potential, the student who coasted until the work got harder, or the adult who has always felt like they were underperforming. Understanding both strengths and challenges is what finally makes sense of their experience.

ADHD Assessment

I’m trained in both assessment and treatment, so every evaluation I do is designed with your next steps in mind. I don’t use a one-size-fits-all assessment. I build each one around the questions you need answered, including whether attention challenges come from ADHD or from something else, such as anxiety, dyslexia or autism. If I don’t think an assessment will change the diagnosis or the plan, I’ll tell you, and recommend putting that money toward treatment instead.

Many families come to me with past reports they’ve never fully understood. I’m happy to review them with you, explain what was tested and what the results mean, and help you decide whether anything more is needed.

Because I’m out of network with all insurance providers, your records go to an insurance company only if you choose to submit them for reimbursement.

What We Work On in Therapy

Everyone’s goals are different, so therapy is built around what matters most to you. Here’s what I often work on with clients who have ADHD:

  1. Understanding your brain: how attention and executive functioning work, and why some things feel so much harder for you than for others.
  2. Medication: the science of how ADHD medications work, so you can make an informed choice. When medication makes sense, I refer to trusted prescribers and work alongside them.
  3. Health: how sleep, nutrition and exercise affect attention.
  4. Time and organization: practical tools for time blindness, getting started and following through, including Organizational Skills Training.
  5. School and work: how ADHD affects performance, and how to set up your environment to succeed.
  6. Emotions: managing frustration, overwhelm and rejection sensitivity, which often come with ADHD.
  7. Self-esteem: letting go of years of shame and seeing your strengths clearly.
  8. Advocacy: how to explain your needs and ask for accommodations.
  9. Relationships: how ADHD affects friendships, dating and marriage, and how to reduce the strain.
  10. Parent support: helping parents understand their child’s ADHD and share the load.
Books and Programs I Use

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