A free quick-reference tool for primary care providers using the original Sticky Brain Studio F-O-C-U-S framework for ADHD evaluation: Function, Other Symptoms, Consistency, Unusual Presentations, and Supports. Helps providers look beyond rating scales and organize clinical judgment.
The F-O-C-U-S ADHD Evaluation Sheet is a free provider tool built around Sticky Brain Studio’s original F-O-C-U-S framework: Function, Other Symptoms, Consistency, Unusual Presentations, and Supports. It is designed for primary care providers who need a fast, structured way to think through ADHD concerns without relying on rating scales alone.
This free tool is a preview of the ADHD module inside the Sticky Brain Studio Clinical Provider Series course. The full course includes training on pediatric ADHD, pediatric anxiety/depression, and disparities in clinical judgment, plus toolkits, scripts, slides, participant materials, and reference cards.
Want the full ADHD provider toolkit? The ADHD Collaborative Care Toolkit expands this framework with pediatric ADHD identification guidance, diagnostic masqueraders, case examples, school supports, parent scripts, and collaborative care pathways.
FREE PCP ADHD EVALUATION TOOL
This quick-reference sheet helps providers organize ADHD clinical judgment around functioning, differential diagnosis, cross-setting consistency, unusual presentations, and support needs.
A Vanderbilt is not a diagnosis. Think F-O-C-U-S.
F — Function
Prompts providers to assess academic performance, peer relationships, family life, daily routines, and severity of impairment.
O — Other Symptoms
Reminds providers to screen for anxiety, depression, trauma, autism, learning disorders, sleep problems, and tic disorders.
C — Consistency
Helps providers check whether symptoms are present across settings and persistent over time, rather than only situational.
U — Unusual Presentations
Flags masking, rigid routines, speech or language delays, sensory issues, and other features that may suggest comorbid or alternative diagnoses.
S — Supports
Prompts providers to map the current support landscape, including IEP/504 plans, behavior plans, therapy, family stressors, and what else is needed.
This quick-reference sheet is a psychoeducational provider resource and is not a substitute for ADHD evaluation, clinical training, medical judgment, psychological assessment, school evaluation, crisis assessment, or individualized consultation. Providers should use clinical judgment, gather multi-source data, and refer when diagnostic complexity or safety concerns are present.