Alan Siegel, PhD
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Feb 2008
Re: Who to diagnose and prescribe for ADD in teen?
My son had a similar situation when he hit high school. He is smart and articulate and did very well when he had teachers who knew him. But, once in high school with a new teacher for each subject, his inability to manage time and concentrate became very evident.
We saw Dr. Alan Siegel on Alcatraz in Oakland, phone 510- 527-7929. He was wonderful with my son and utterly professional. The full battery of tests were completed and he gave a very detailed report on specific issues and recommendations for treatment. It was well worth the time (several sessions of testing) and expense to have a full report with recommendations on how to address the issues.
Through trial and error we tried several medicines and enrolled him in organizational and time management programs. It took us years to realize that my son was integral to becoming successful. With all we could offer, he still had to stop denying the situation and take charge to find the work-arounds that fit for him and could make his life easier. (Really, we all do this whether we have ADD or not.)
As parents we tried our darndest to hand him the help. I think one of our mistakes was to try too hard to do for him and not share the issues in the report. Once he saw the report (at age 20 when new testing was needed to keep him covered by the Disabled Students Services at college), so many things fell into place for him.
I hope your son's road is easier and with fewer bumps for all of you. My son is now 24 and is truly enjoying his life -- without meds. Good luck! Anonymous Mom
Feb 2000
Re: Psychologist for ADD evaluation
We went to Dr. Alan Siegel for the very same issues you mention and we were extremely pleased. He completed a thorough evaluation and wrote an extensive report that was used to request certain accommodations from the school. We also were able to apply to ETS for extended testing times (my son is in high school but the ADD issues started in grammar school). Dr. Siegel is exceptional and will discuss with you the wide variety of options that you have, including medication or no medication, learning specialist recommendations, etc. We've referred several other parents to him for adolescent issues.
Alan Siegel is a wonderful neuropsychologist with an office on Alcatraz near College. His email is AlanSiegelPHD [at] Gmail.com. He gave our dyslexic child a thorough work-up and excellent guidance on how best to support him going forward. He has helped us immeasurably over the years (our child is in college now).