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ADHD Assessment frequently asked questions
What assessment tools do you use?
As with all of our assessments, we will discuss your unique circumstances with you in your initial consultation appointment. The exact tools we use will depend on the difficulties you have noted as well as who might be available to contribute to the assessment. We will always aim to complete the most robust assessment according to the current NICE guidelines for assessment of ADHD, but there is a balance to be struck depending on your circumstances and presentation.
Examples of assessment tools we use regularly include the DIVA, Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale, Wender Utah rating scale, and BAARS.
We will also ask you to complete some screening questionnaires to find out more about your current mental health. We know that it can be overwhelming to be sent a long list of things to do, so would aim to keep the "homework" to a minimum and support you through the process.
Due to the high rates of overlap between autism and ADHD, we include a screening tool for autism but there is no obligation to be formally assessed for this.
All information gathered from all sources is synthesised into your comprehensive report.
Who should be involved in the assessment?
As with autism, in line with diagnostic criteria, we need to establish that some ADHD features were present when you were younger and across multiple situations (e.g. home, school, work). Usually, asking a parent is the best way to answer some of these questions. Often, we will agree not to involve a parent, perhaps because the parent is no longer around or well enough to participate. Sometimes, people prefer not to involve their parent because they do not have a good relationship or they do not want to disclose the possibility they have ADHD to them. Often, we hear that our clients feel their parents would not have recognised or remembered ADHD features because they were masking their difficulties. Parents themselves can struggle with the idea that their adult child might have ADHD, which could be due to a less contemporary understanding of ADHD, difficulty accepting that there might be something "wrong" or different about their child, or maybe even a sense of guilt at not spotting the difficulties and seeking support sooner. These are all really valid concerns.
In your initial consultation, we will explore any hesitation to involve a parent. Assessments including parents are administered very sensitively, with a lot of reassurance, normalising and validating. You also get the chance to respond to any comments your parent makes in the assessment. In case of any disagreement, we would use our clinical judgement but generally speaking we place a higher weight on the internal experience of the person rather than those around them (e.g. if your parent tells us they didn't see any issues, but you tell us how difficult life has been in relation to traits of ADHD, we will take that seriously).
If, after this discussion, it still feels inappropriate or impossible to involve a parent, we will discuss whether anyone else might have something to contribute. We have carried out assessments with our clients' partners, friends and siblings in the past. They may not be able to tell us much about your early years, but corroborating your current concerns is always helpful.
It is still possible to arrive at a diagnostic decision without another informant involved at all, but in the interests of robustness this would usually be a last resort.
How much does an assessment cost?
The total cost of an ADHD assessment on its own is £800. This covers all 5 steps listed on the assessment process page. Other packages are available if you have more than one question about your neurodiversity. Please see fees page for more information.
The initial consultation (£150) is payable before step 2, with the remainder due prior to starting step 3 if you decide to proceed.
If cost is a concern, you have the option of spreading your sessions over several months, allowing you to spread the cost over several paychecks. Please let us know if you would like to discuss this option.
Do you offer medication?
We do not have anybody with any medical or prescribing qualifications in our service, so regrettably we are not able to offer medication. We seek to provide a robust assessment in line with NICE guidelines, in the hope that if you did decide to seek medication, your diagnosis should not need to be revisited (although we cannot guarantee this will be the case and you would need to check with any prescriber you approach).
Prescribers have their own pathways for assessing suitability for medication, titration and shared-care agreements with GPs. Always ensure you find out what the processes are likely to be before you choose a prescriber, and find out what the costs are for this (including the cost of ongoing private prescriptions, if relevant).
We are always looking for prescribing routes to suggest to our clients. If you are a prescriber and would like us to pass on your details, or if you have experience of a fantastic neuroaffirming prescriber, please let us know!