272 | Russell Barkley, Ph.D., Part 2 - The Case Against Neuropsychological Testing and New Research Part 2

Russell Barkley joins me for the fourth time as a guest on my podcast.  He is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children and Virginia Commonwealth Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. Board certified in three disciplines: clinical psychology, clinical child and adolescent psychology, and clinical neuropsychology. Russell is a clinical scientist, educator, and practitioner with 23 published books and 41 editions, more than 290 scientific articles and chapters related to the nature, assessment, and treatment of ADHD and related disorders. He is the founder and editor of the newsletter “The ADHD Report”. He has spoken at over 800 events and has been recognized for his contributions. ADHD and Russell’s work has sometimes been considered “over pathologizing”, however, his message is to get the science out for those with ADHD so these individuals can get proper treatment and lead healthy lives. Russell talks about why neuropsychological testing is inappropriate and misleading as a test for ADHD. Russell is a proponent of discontinuing the use of neuropsychological testing for ADHD. We talk about a controversial device, recently approved by the FDA, for treating ADHD, and new, innovative, research using Virtual Reality for ADHD at the University of Berkley, California. Your Resources | Dr. Barkley’s website | How you can make a difference on outcomes | Russell’s book for those who live with adults who have ADHD You’ll Learn: [04:12] The misuse of neuropsychological testing for diagnosing ADHD. [06:35] Comparing test group averages versus classifying individual people. [09:15] Why neuropsychological tests are not accurate for testing for a diagnosis of ADHD. [10:13] Why people with ADHD are passing neuropsychological tests. [11:41] What categories are included in neuropsychological tests assessment. [13:33] Test environments are not conducive to someone’s everyday normal environment. [16:53] Neuropsychological testing may be useful for physical brain injury situations. [19:45] How should a medical provider be evaluating ADHD, the timeframe and what conditions to rule in or out based on second or third disorders. [23:50] What should you do if you are experiencing something else other than ADHD? Other testing which can assess ADHD and impairment. [26:32] Russell’s definition of executive functioning skills. [34:32] Device which has shown improvement for treating children with ADHD. [41:16] New and novel research using Virtual Reality for possibly diagnosing ADHD. Use my Audible.com affiliate link for your favorite titles: ADHD reWired Coaching and Accountability Group Early registration for ADHD reWired’s Spring season of our online, video-based coaching and accountability group has ended, and the groups are full. Our next registration signups begin May 10th.  To sign up on the email list, which allows you to register on May 7th, visit . ADHD Women’s Palooza Encore packages of this amazing conference are available for only $97!  That includes audio and video downloads, as well as abridged transcripts. Learn more at Support the podcast on Patreon Patreon allows listeners like you to support content creators like me.  With a monthly contribution, you can get access to different levels of perks.  One perk example is our Patreon-only Adult Study Hall. Learn more at ADHD reWired Facebook Group: If you would like to join the ADHD reWired secret Facebook group, go to and fill out an application. Productivity Q&A Get your ADHD questions answered live!  These Q&A sessions take place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 12:30 pm.  Go to . Want to be a guest? Hey, What about you?  Do you have a story? Are you a Coach?  Are you an ADHD Clinician? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions and you’d like to be a guest, schedule a pre-interview call .