Autism and ADHD Assessments

An autism and/or ADHD assessment is a comprehensive, multi-faceted process used to determine if a person/child has one or both conditions, which often overlap.

The process consists of a discussion with a healthcare professional such as a GP, or a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) at your child’s school, which enables you to voice your concerns. This is a starting point and then you will be referred to a specialist team.  

Unfortunately, often this is a slow process and referral times can be long. Private assessments are an option if you prefer not to wait for an NHS appointment. 

The assessment will consist of different diagnostic tools such as questionnaires and interviews to gather information about your experiences, challenges, and developmental history. A specialist will conduct in-depth interviews with the child or adult and a family member to review the information gathered and current symptoms. This may include instruments like the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) for autism and the ACE+ (Adult ADHD Clinical Evaluation) for ADHD. 

After the assessment, you will also receive a detailed report outlining the findings, including a clear outcome (diagnosis of autism, ADHD, both, or neither) and recommendations for support.