What to expect at your ADHD assessment

Deciding to book in an ADHD assessment can feel very daunting. Some people might feel excited about finding out more about themselves or confirming what they have recognised in themselves for a while; others might feel anxious about the uncertainty of what an assessment might look like.

An ADHD assessment with me is usually spread over two appointments with you, with the first lasting approximately 2 hours and the second appointment lasting 1 hour. Sometimes, it can take us a bit more time to complete the assessment and I will discuss this with you if I think more time is needed.

In part one, we spend time thinking about you as a whole person and discuss different areas of your life. As part of the assessment and identification work, we explore other aspects of your experiences, such as your time in school and/or college, experiences in the workplace if relevant, friendships and relationships. You may have experienced difficulties with anxiety or low mood over the years, and it is important to think about the impact this has had on you. In order to be able to identify ADHD, we have to rule out anything else that might better explain difficulties you experience and so this is part of our focus during part one of the assessment.

In part two, we will go through the diagnostic criteria for ADHD in detail, discussing examples from your childhood and current life that might fit with the criteria.

If you have someone who can be an informant, I will arrange an interview with them separately. This can take place in person, over the phone or through Zoom.

We will arrange to meet for feedback and to share your report within a month of your final assessment appointment. The feedback appointment lasts up to 1 hour and is a chance to go through the findings of the assessment, discuss and share strategies and resources that may be helpful, and provide a space for you to ask any questions you may have.