Medication Management

Medication is the gold standard of care for ADHD; in fact, among the various interventions for ADHD, it is the one most likely to produce improvement in symptoms. Medications for ADHD are FDA-approved in children aged 6 and above, and are also used in adults. There is also increasing study in preschool children who may also be candidates for treatment with medication. Mount Sinai’s ADHD faculty are experts in the study and delivery of medication treatments for ADHD. There are many medication options available—we believe it’s important to tailor treatment to the needs of the individual. 

Assessment

Our evaluation of ADHD is comprised of a parent interview; direct testing of intelligence, executive functioning, and attention; and completion of behavioral questionnaires by both parents and teachers. The interviews present questions about the nature and onset of current problems, the child's mental, physical, and emotional development, and the home and school environments. For more information, visit our Neuropsychology page.

If ADHD is suspected along with other mental health difficulties, a psychiatric evaluation is available. 

Parent Management Training / Parent-Child Interaction Therapy

In parent management training, which is for children aged three to 13, parents are usually seen without the child present, although children may be asked to participate in some sessions. The therapist teaches and models the skills, and then role-plays with parents. After each session, parents are expected to practice the skills at home. Families usually participate in at least 10 sessions.

Organizational Training

This research backed program helps children and adolescents to overcome their difficulties in organizing school materials. This intervention teaches children and adolescents organizational, time management, and planning skills.

Social Skills Group

Designed for four- to six-year-olds, the social skills group is based on the Incredible Years Dina Dinosaur program. This is a treatment module for children with ADHD, oppositional behavior, anxiety, and depression. It is delivered in one-hour weekly small group sessions for 21 weeks. The program targets challenging behaviors and promotes increased social emotional learning and self-control. It has been evaluated in randomized control group studies and found to be effective in improving children’s social emotional competence, emotion regulation, and school readiness, as well as reducing behavior problems.

School-Based Anxiety

We use a cognitive-behavioral approach to treat various forms of anxiety in children and adolescents. Several of the children we see present with school-based anxiety, which interferes with one or more aspects of their daily functioning in the classroom. Our treatment approach involves individual work with the child, as well as parent and family involvement as needed. School consultation is often another component of our work, which involves the clinician and the family working collaboratively with the child’s teachers and school psychologist to ensure that the child is appropriately supported across settings.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Tics, and Tourette's 

We also treat children, adolescents, and adults suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) using a cognitive behavioral approach to therapy. Through the use of exposure and response prevention (ERP), the gold standard of OCD treatment, distressing, uncomfortable, and intrusive thoughts and accompanying compulsive behaviors associated with the disorder are directly targeted. Specifically, ERP treatment involves supporting the patient in confronting their fearful thoughts in the absence of performing linked, ritualized behaviors in an incremental, purposeful manner. In conjunction with outside homework assignments between sessions, therapy is highly effective in reducing symptoms.

Additionally, our team provides psychotherapy for the treatment of tic disorders, such as Tourette Syndrome, using habit reversal training. In therapy, patients learn to become increasingly aware of their tic symptoms and associated urges. Next, competing behaviors to implement when experiencing a tic urge will be taught and practiced, in conjunction with support in modifying a patient’s daily activities and environment in a manner that helps reduce symptoms.

Payments and Billing

Intake 90791
Individual therapy 90834/90832/90837
Group therapy 90853
Psychological assessment 96130/96131 (for ADHD testing only)
Neuropsychological Assessment: 96132, 96133, 96136, 96137