ADHD Assessments

Whilst ADHD traits will have been present in childhood, many people do not receive a diagnosis until they are adults. This may be because difficulties were unrecognised or mis-attributed to a mental health or behaviour problem; because a person was able to compensate for and mask the challenges; or they had a very supportive and enabling environment that was a good fit for the way their brain worked.

Adults may begin to question whether they have ADHD when the demands in their environment start to overwhelm their coping strategies and they seek support for this; they have a child who gets a diagnosis of ADHD; or they learn about ADHD in the media and recognise signs from their own life.

An ADHD assessment can help you to make sense of the things you have found difficult (often throughout life) and to understand why you may have felt different to the “norm”. This can enable you to develop greater self-awareness, acceptance and compassion – as well as learning strategies to make life easier, and to work with your brain, rather than against it. It can also be helpful in communicating these needs to your workplace or educational setting to ensure you get the right kind of support to enable you to thrive and meet your potential.

If an assessment indicates a diagnosis this can help to access further sources of support such as medication, or the Access to Work scheme.

ADHD often occurs alongside other conditions (such as autism, anxiety and depression, for example). A robust assessment explores all of these issues to make sure you have a holistic understanding of your needs and can access the right kind of support.

In order to provide a gold standard ADHD diagnostic assessment I ensure assessments are carried out in line with NICE guideline NG87 and the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN)’s Adult ADHD Assessment Quality Assurance Standard (AQAS). The assessment process has multiple stages:

1) initial screening conversation to ensure an assessment is indicated

2) information gathering – you and someone who knows you well completing various questionnaires, and sending in any relevant reports or medical notes (including school reports/records where possible)

3) review of reports/notes; scoring and interpreting completed questionnaires

4) clinical and diagnostic interviews – these will take place online via Zoom over 2-3 sessions. I will also need to speak with at least one person who knows you well, such as a parent, partner, sibling or friend.

5) QBCheck – completing a computerised task called the QBCheck. We will arrange a separate 60 minute appointment for this. Please note the QBCheck is not compatible with all devices and so may not be possible if your device does not meet the technical specifications – I will help you to check this.

6) preparing your report, including personalised recommendations and next steps. This will also include a summary letter and where required a “reasonable adjustments letter” for work or educational settings. This can take 5 – 10 working days.

7) feedback session to discuss the results of your assessment and answer any questions you may have.

8) post-assessment session: this will be an optional 30 minute session about 2 weeks after your feedback appointment and is an opportunity to explore your responses to the assessment and clarify anything about your report or recommendations.

I can also offer additional post-diagnostic sessions to support you with adjusting to a diagnosis and building coping strategies.

No, but I do have partnership arrangements with specialist prescribers that I can refer you to.

Due to the overlap of ADHD symptoms with other conditions the diagnostic process is a complex one. It requires a thorough analysis of current lived experience as well as a developmental history, alongside consideration of differential diagnosis. ADHD symptoms can be present in other conditions, and ADHD also often co-occurs with other mental health problems. It is therefore really important that an assessor has training and experience in assessing and treating a broad range of mental health difficulties – this is something that Clinical Psychologists are well trained to do.

In addition, Clinical Psychologists are able to offer a broader psychological understanding that goes beyond diagnosis – helping to make sense of your experiences through a bio-psycho-social formulation, and offer personalised recommendations alongside this.

As a Clinical Psychologist I can also offer post-diagnostic support to help you explore the meaning and impact of the diagnosis and build coping strategies.

An ADHD diagnostic assessment costs £1200. 50% is payable at the time of booking, and the final 50% is paid upon completion.

Post-diagnostic sessions cost £125 per 50-minute session.