CHILD THERAPY | ADHD
Bright, capable, and still struggling.
ADHD testing and therapy for children in Newport Beach, Orange County
Child ADHD Evaluation and Treatment for Children Ages 5–12 and Their Parents in Newport Beach, California
The families we work with often share something in common. They know their child is bright: the curiosity, the big questions, the things they light up about at home. And yet school keeps telling a different story. Assignments go missing, homework ends in tears, and the teacher notes again that they've drifted off. By the time parents come to us, they want a clear answer to what is really going on.
What helps most is a thorough evaluation rather than a quick label, so you understand how your child's attention, learning and emotions fit together. From there we give you a clear plan for home and school.
At OC Psychology Center, kids with ADHD are evaluated and treated by child and family psychologists and therapists in our private Newport Beach office. Families come to us from Newport Beach, Irvine, Costa Mesa and across Orange County.
Signs of ADHD in children
• Trouble sustaining attention on schoolwork, yet deep focus on what interests them
• Careless mistakes, lost belongings, unfinished tasks
• Difficulty following multi-step directions
• Restlessness, fidgeting, or seeming "driven by a motor"
• Interrupting, blurting out, or difficulty waiting
• Big emotional reactions and frequent frustration
• Morning and homework routines that turn into battles
Many young children show some of these. ADHD is suggested when the pattern is persistent, appears in more than one setting, and gets in the way of learning, friendships or family life. Several signs overlap with anxiety, depression, sleep problems and learning differences, which is why careful evaluation comes first.
Is it ADHD, or something else?
A child who can't focus in class may have ADHD. They may also be anxious, quietly struggling to read, or exhausted. A misread can lead to the wrong treatment, including medication a child doesn't need. Our evaluations are designed to tell these apart.
How we evaluate ADHD in children
Each evaluation is tailored to your child. It typically includes:
• A detailed interview with parents about development, school and home
• Rating scales from parents and teachers
• Testing of attention, executive functioning, cognitive and academic skills
• Screening for anxiety, mood and learning differences
Testing is done one-on-one in our office, usually over several sessions. We then meet with you to walk through the findings and recommendations, and you receive a written report you can share with your child's school and pediatrician. Fees are fixed, with no hourly overages.
Learn more about ADHD testing and psychological evaluations
How we treat ADHD in children
We work with the whole family over time. Your child meets with one therapist who comes to know them well. ADHD is rarely only about attention: by the time families reach us, many children have absorbed years of correction and have quietly concluded that they are "bad" or "lazy." Through play and conversation, therapy gives your child room to work through that frustration and shame, and to come to see themselves as capable.
Alongside this, we teach practical skills drawn from cognitive behavioral therapy: noticing frustration before it becomes a meltdown, slowing down to plan, and getting started on hard tasks. These skills take hold best when a child feels understood rather than managed.
Parents are central. We meet with you regularly to make sense of your child's behavior and to build the structure, routines and responses at home that research shows make the biggest difference for children with ADHD. With your permission, we coordinate with your child's school, and with your pediatrician or a child psychiatrist if medication is being considered.
As therapy progresses, children often:
• See themselves as capable rather than "in trouble"
• Handle frustration with fewer meltdowns
• Start and finish tasks with less conflict
• Get along better with friends and siblings
• Feel more confident at school and at home
See what child therapy looks like at OC Psychology Center
Who you'll work with
Our practice is led by Dr. Aaron Montgomery, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist and Certified ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP) with more than 15 years of experience with children, adolescents and parents.
Frequently Asked Questions
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When attention or behavior problems persist for months, show up at home and at school, and are affecting learning or relationships, an evaluation is worth considering. A consultation can help you decide.
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We evaluate children from age 4. In younger children, the evaluation focuses on behavior and development; formal testing becomes more detailed from school age.
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Regular sessions with your child, built around play and conversation, together with regular parent meetings. Your child builds practical skills and a steadier sense of themselves; you gain clear ways to support them at home.
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Yes. The report includes specific recommendations and can support a 504 plan or IEP request.
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We tend to work with families seeking long term support. Many families notice changes at home within the first months. The deeper change, in how a child understands and treats themselves, unfolds over a longer period.
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Not necessarily. Many children do well with therapy, parent support and school accommodations. If medication may help, we discuss it with you and coordinate with your pediatrician or a child psychiatrist.
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Yes. For ages 13 to 18, see ADHD testing and therapy for teens.
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We are private pay, so care is shaped by your family’s needs rather than insurance requirements, and your information stays more private. We can provide a superbill for possible out-of-network reimbursement upon request. See Fees & Insurance
CONTACT US
Request a Child Therapy Consultation
Choose a time on our calendar for a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll listen to what’s going on and talk through how we can help.
Prefer to leave a voicemail or text?
OUR OFFICE
In Newport Beach, close to home.
We provide counseling and psychological assessment in Newport Beach from our private office in Koll Center Newport, where Newport Beach meets Irvine and Costa Mesa. Many of the families we work with come from Irvine and nearby communities, and online sessions are available throughout California.
We’re five minutes from UCI & John Wayne Airport, with easy access from the 405, 73 and 55, and free visitor parking.
OC Psychology Center
4000 MacArthur Blvd - East Tower, Suite 600
Newport Beach, CA 92660