Please note that we are currently on a waitlist for ADHD Evaluations, and will not be scheduling any additional ADHD Evaluations until Summer 2025. If you are interested in our ADHD evaluation, the first step is to attend a mandatory ADHD Informational Session. Please click here to sign up. 

If you have any other mental health needs, please schedule a Brief Assessment through our website or by calling CAPS front desk at 805-893-4411.

WHILE YOU WAIT… Please take a look at these other resources we have at CAPS and on campus.
1. Mental Health Peers – Neurodiversity Support Services
2. CAPS Workshops & Groups:
   a. Find Your Focus Workshop
   b. Neurodiversity Support Group
   c. Graduate Student ADHD Support Group
3. Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) Workshops:
https://clas.sa.ucsb.edu/subjects/academic-skills/workshop-schedules

 

If you have never been assessed for ADHD and are interested in an ADHD Evaluation at CAPS, please review the information and steps below. 

If you have been assessed for ADHD in the past, or if you meet any of the following criteria, please make an appointment with UCSB Student Health Social Work Services by calling 805-893-3371.

- have had a previous ADHD diagnosis
- have a history of ADHD services
- have previous ADHD documentation
- need to transfer existing ADHD care
- or you are ONLY in need of ADHD medication 

 

UCSB CAPS offers Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Evaluations for UCSB students which entail:

  • A 2hr comprehensive diagnostic interview (may take more than one meeting)
  • Completing self- and observer-report questionnaires 
    • 2 self-report questionnaires (completed by you)
    • 1 Adult Observer questionnaire 
      • Completed by an adult who currently knows you well and is familiar with your current day-to-day functioning (i.e., roommate, partner, family member, friend). 
    • 2 Childhood Observer questionnaires
      • Completed by someone who has known you well since childhood and can report on your childhood history of behavior and functioning before the age of 12.
      • We have both Mandarin and Spanish forms available as needed.
  • Gathering collateral information regarding childhood history, behavior, and functioning from someone who knew you before the age of 12
  • If needed, collecting any other necessary documentation
    • Educational records/report cards
    • Previous psychological assessment reports
    • Medical records from psychiatrists or pediatricians
    • School psychological evaluations or IEP/504/SST
  • If needed, administering other questionnaires and assessments in order to assess for other coexisting conditions that may mimic ADHD (i.e., anxiety, depression, experiences of extreme stress and trauma, sleep issues, substance use) 

After the above information is collected, you will meet with your evaluator for a feedback session to discuss diagnosis, recommendations, and treatment planning.

Please Note:

  • This ADHD Evaluation is not a comprehensive assessment and further, more comprehensive psychological or neuropsychological assessment may be recommended (i.e., learning differences, processing disorders).
  • If you have been previously assessed, have had a previous diagnosis, have a history of ADHD treatment, have previous documentation, need to transfer existing care, or you are in need of medication, please make an appointment with UCSB Student Health Social Work Services by calling 805-893-3371.

Please also note that we do not prescribe medication here at CAPS. While we may recommend that you make an appointment with a psychiatrist as a result of your ADHD Evaluation, a diagnosis of ADHD does not necessarily mean you will be prescribed a stimulant medication by your psychiatrist. However, at your request, we are happy to share the results of our ADHD Evaluation with your psychiatrist so that it can be used to inform your care.

 

STEPS TO SCHEDULING ADHD EVALUATION

  1. Sign up for an ADHD Informational Session to find out whether our ADHD evaluation is a good fit for your needs:
    • After you attend the session and you would like to proceed with our ADHD evaluation, you will be given an opportunity to sign up for an ADHD Pre-Screening immediately afterwards.
  2. After your ADHD Pre-Screening, if you and your clinician decide that an ADHD Evaluation at CAPS is appropriate, you will be provided questionnaires and paperwork to complete and collect from collateral informants.
  3. Complete all ADHD questionnaires and paperwork and send it via secure message:
    • BAARS - self-report (current & childhood symptoms)
    • BAARS - observer-report (current symptoms)
    • BAARS - observer-report (childhood symptoms)
    • Childhood Observer Questionnaire (available in Spanish and Mandarin) 
    • ADHD Evaluation - Release of Information 
      1. Please complete this consent form to authorize the release of information between CAPS and the following individuals/entities, as needed:
        1. Parent/caregiver or another adult who knew you well as a child (the person completing the Childhood Observer Questionnaire)
        2. Adult who knows you well currently (the person completing the ASRS-observer questionnaire)
        3. Disabled Students Program at UCSB (if you are interested in possible accommodations)
        4. (if applicable) Current or previous providers (psychologists, psychiatrists, PCPs)
  4. Send in any additional supplemental information including: school records, previous psychological evaluations, psychiatry records and can be secure messaged or emailed to CAPSADHDScreening@sa.ucsb.edu
  5. ONCE ALL OF THE ABOVE ARE COMPLETED, YOU WILL BE CONTACTED BY THE FRONT DESK TO SCHEDULE YOUR ADHD EVALUATION.

CAPS only provides evaluations for registered UCSB students. 

There may be some understandable reasons why you are not able to find someone who can complete the childhood collateral questionnaire for you. If this is the case, please contact us at CAPSADHDScreening@sa.ucsb.edu to discuss other options for gathering childhood information such as providing report cards from K-7th grade. 
 

There are many reasons why student may not receive an ADHD diagnosis until adulthood. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that includes persistent signs, symptoms, and impairment present in childhood. Most people are not reliable reporters of their own childhood functioning due to not remembering that long ago in the past and the developmental limitations of memory at that time. Thus, adults who knew you well as a child provide us with necessary information regarding childhood functioning. 
 

Please contact us at CAPSADHDScreening@sa.ucsb.edu if you have any questions about this process or if there are unique circumstances or barriers that make it difficult to provide the necessary information.