Private Child and Adolescent ADHD assessments and treatments.

Once we have booked your appointments, you’ll be given access to our patient portal, CORA. This is where you’ll find and complete questionnaires about your current experiences, health and personal history, as well as information about what happens next in your assessment.

Where possible, we’ll also invite someone who knows you well to provide information about your development and behaviour. For adults, this may include someone who knew you well during childhood. For children and young people, you may invite parents, carers or other people who know them well.

Teachers and school staff or other educational professionals can be given access to provide information about their experiences and behaviour. You can invite these people to contribute to the assessment by completing questionnaires such as the SNAP-5.

We understand that not everyone has somebody available who can provide this information. This will not automatically prevent you from being assessed, please let us know, and our team will explain the alternative information that may be helpful.

We believe in using objective baseline testing from the beginning of your assessment. QbCheck is a computer-based test that measures attention, activity and impulse control, and is considered the gold standard in objective ADHD testing. It forms both an important part of our initial assessment process and, if relevant, ongoing treatment.

Your results from QbCheck are compared with data from people of a similar age and sex who do not have ADHD. QbCheck does not diagnose ADHD by itself, but provides objective information for our clinical team and doctors to consider alongside your history, questionnaires and diagnostic interviews. Where and when clinically appropriate, we may also repeat QbCheck during medication or other treatments to help monitor changes in your symptoms.

The first appointment will be to meet with one of our appropriately trained ADHD clinicians, either online or in person, to complete the DIVA-5 diagnostic interview.

DIVA-5 is a structured interview used to explore the recognised symptoms of ADHD in adulthood and childhood; for children we perform the Young DIVA.

Your clinician will ask how these experiences have affected different areas of your life, including education, work, relationships, organisation and everyday responsibilities.

Completing this interview before meeting the psychiatrist allows time for your experiences and supporting information to be explored in detail. The findings form part of the complete clinical information which, together with your initial forms and QbCheck, is reviewed by the psychiatrist. They do not determine the diagnostic outcome on their own.

You’ll meet with one of our specialist psychiatrists, either online or in person. For children and adolescents, the assessment will be completed by a CAMHS psychiatrist or consultant paediatrician with experience in assessing ADHD in younger people. They will review all the information gathered and complete a comprehensive clinical assessment.

The clinician may ask further questions about development, childhood, education, behaviour, relationships, physical health, mental health and family history. They will also consider whether another condition, or a combination of conditions, could better explain some of the experiences described.

Where clinically possible, the clinician will explain the outcome during this appointment. If ADHD is diagnosed, they will discuss what the diagnosis means and explain the available treatment and support options. A diagnosis does not mean that medication must be taken, or that it will be appropriate.

If medication may be suitable and you would like to consider it, the doctors will make recommendations based on the adult, child’s or young person’s individual health, circumstances and clinical needs.

Following the assessment, you’ll receive a detailed written report. Where appropriate, this may provide supporting information for requesting reasonable adjustments in education or the workplace. Decisions about which adjustments can be provided are made by the relevant education provider or employer.

Where appropriate, we can also provide a letter recommending reasonable adjustments for school, college, university, work or another education provider. If ADHD is not diagnosed, the clinician will explain the reasons for the outcome and may recommend other support or further assessment.

If ADHD medication is clinically appropriate and you choose to proceed, our specialist team will support you through titration—the process of carefully introducing and adjusting medication to find the most suitable option and dose for you.

As part of this process, we may ask you to complete a further two or three QbCheck tests. These tests can help us monitor changes in your attention, activity and impulse control alongside your reported experiences and clinical review. QbCheck results are considered as part of the wider assessment and treatment review and do not determine medication decisions on their own.

You’ll attend regular medication reviews at intervals determined by your clinical needs. During these appointments, we’ll review how the medication is working, discuss any side effects and monitor relevant physical observations, including your blood pressure, pulse and weight.

Prescriptions will only be issued when clinically appropriate and after the required monitoring information has been received. Depending on the dispensing arrangements available, medication may also be delivered to your home.

We understand that receiving an ADHD diagnosis can be a lot to take in. It may bring relief and clarity, but it can also lead to new questions or mixed emotions. If you would like additional support, you can arrange a post-diagnosis appointment with one of our specialist ADHD practitioners.

This is an opportunity to discuss your diagnosis, what it may mean for your everyday life and the next steps available to you. This support can be especially helpful for parents or carers of young children, who may have questions about how ADHD could affect their child and how best to support them.

We can also provide guidance on practical strategies, reasonable adjustments and appropriate treatment or support options.