For years, Sam,* a husband and father in his 40s, wondered why focus and organization seemed harder for him than for others. Today, he understands why, and that understanding has made a lasting difference.
Smart and capable, Sam navigated school well until he got to college. Suddenly, his courses began requiring independent time management — without the built-in structure he was accustomed to in high school. With only a syllabus to go on, Sam hit a turning point.
“I thought, ‘I’m intelligent, I should be smart enough to figure this out,’” Sam recalls. “It wasn’t that I didn’t understand what I had to do, it was that I couldn’t make myself do it. I used to beat myself up and think I was just lazy or unfocused.”
Determined to find answers, Sam pursued psychological testing in his 20s and was diagnosed with ADHD. It was a moment that transformed how he viewed his brain, and the start of a new chapter.
A Different Kind of Evaluation
ADHD presents differently in adults than it does in children, and the path to diagnosis reflects that.
At JF&CS, adults seeking answers go through a specialized ADHD evaluation designed for where they are in life. It is not the same as the psychoeducational evaluation used to assess children for learning differences and academic accommodations, which is built around school performance, classroom behavior and cognitive development. An adult evaluation focuses on how ADHD is showing up right now: at work, in relationships, in managing a household and in daily functioning.
Adult ADHD evaluations are conducted by Dr. Howard Schub, a neurologist with more than 40 years of experience. Dr. Schub served as chief of neurology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and as director of medical services at Marcus Institute/Autism Center. His expertise includes developmental disabilities and ADHD in both children and adults.
A key part of evaluation at JF&CS is the QbTest, an FDA-cleared tool that measures the three core dimensions of ADHD objectively and in real time: attention, impulsivity and activity level. During the test, the person being evaluated wears a small motion-tracking sensor and responds to a series of tasks on a screen. The result is a detailed report that compares their performance to a matched peer group, giving the clinician concrete, measurable data to work with rather than relying on self-report alone.
Objective data can be especially helpful, since adults often come in having spent years explaining away their symptoms. The QbTest can give people a concrete starting point for understanding what they have been experiencing and open the door to a conversation about what to do next.
Beyond the Diagnosis: Building Skills That Last
Managing adult ADHD is not about finding a single magic bullet; it is about building the right combination of supports.
Medication has been an important part of Sam’s care, and he has built on it with practical executive function skills that serve him in his career, his marriage and his parenting.
“Medication has been an important foundation for me, but it works best alongside other supports,” Sam says. “For me, that means therapy and lifestyle practices like using calendars, managing lists methodically and building habits I can rely on every single day.”
Executive Function Coaching: Where Insight Becomes Action
Knowing you have ADHD is one thing; knowing what to do on a Tuesday afternoon when you have six tasks in front of you and cannot start any of them is another. That is where executive function coaching comes in, and it is one of the most practical tools available to adults navigating ADHD.
Marlena Reese, Ed.D., executive function coach at JF&CS, works with adults to build the specific skills that ADHD tends to make harder: planning, prioritizing, managing time, organizing information and following through. The work is hands-on and highly personal.
Sessions might involve mapping out a weekly workflow, building a planning routine that sticks or working through the gap between intention and follow-through, which is one of the most common and frustrating experiences for adults with ADHD.
Many adults who struggle with executive function are high achievers who have compensated for years, but on the inside, it can be exhausting. Coaching helps take some of the weight off. The benefits extend well beyond work, too: skills built in coaching carry into parenting, relationships and confidence.
Integrated Care at JF&CS: Everything Working Together
When Sam relocated to Atlanta a few years ago, he set out to build a care team that could support both sides of his ADHD journey: everyday support and medication management. At JF&CS, he found an integrated team that fits his busy life. He trusts Dr. Howard Schub with his medication and connects regularly with his therapist to manage stress.
“Having a doctor with so much experience gives you real peace of mind,” Sam shares about Dr. Schub. “Working with him and my therapist allows me to tackle symptoms from every angle.”
Today, Sam credits treating his ADHD with helping him advance in his career, earn consistently high performance ratings and confidently manage his family’s busy daily schedules.
“If I hadn’t sought testing and treatment, I don’t know if I would have completed my education or held down a job the way I have,” Sam reflects. “For me, getting tested improved my quality of life.”
Take the First Step Toward Clarity
If focus, organization or executive function feel like a challenge, support is here, and it is never too late to start.
At JF&CS, our multidisciplinary team offers comprehensive adult ADHD evaluations including QbTest, executive function coaching, specialized counseling and expert medical management with Dr. Howard Schub, to help you build skills and supports that fit your life at work and at home.
*Name changed to protect client confidentiality