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Adult ADHD Assessment
When attention is inconsistent,
everyday life can become harder than it looks.
ADHD in adults is not simply a matter of being unable to pay attention. You may be able to focus intensely on some things, while struggling to begin, organize or stay with others — particularly when they are repetitive, complicated or lack an immediate deadline.
You might be here because…
You put off important tasks even when you genuinely intend to do them.
Getting started can be much harder than the task itself.
You lose track of plans, belongings, appointments or what you were about to do.
Organization takes much more effort than it seems to take other people.
Your attention can be intensely focused at times and very difficult to direct at others.
You may have managed reasonably well for years, but at the cost of stress, last-minute effort or elaborate workarounds.
What is it?
What is an Adult ADHD Assessment?
A focused psychological assessment for adults who want to know whether ADHD may help explain longstanding difficulties with attention, organization, task initiation, impulsivity or self-management.
Before we meet, you will complete questionnaires covering ADHD symptoms, developmental history, everyday functioning, mood and anxiety. I review this information before the appointment and then we meet for a structured clinical interview.
The aim is to determine whether the overall pattern meets diagnostic criteria for ADHD, while also considering other explanations for attentional difficulties.
An important distinction
A focused diagnostic assessment
This is a brief assessment intended for relatively straightforward adult ADHD questions. It includes standardized questionnaires, review of developmental and functional history, collateral evidence where available, and a structured clinical interview.
ADHD is a developmental condition, so evidence that relevant difficulties were present in childhood is an important part of the assessment. You will be asked to provide childhood information from another person or documentary evidence such as school records where available.
For more complex situations — for example, where extensive psychoeducational, neurological or other diagnostic assessment is required — a more comprehensive assessment may be recommended.
The assessment
What the assessment looks at
ADHD is identified from the overall pattern rather than from any single questionnaire or test. Areas considered include:
symptoms
history
executive functioning
impairment
anxiety
explanations
education
evidence
compensatory strategies
next steps
The outcome
A diagnosis when the evidence supports one — and useful information either way.
The purpose of the assessment is not simply to produce a questionnaire score. I consider the pattern of current symptoms, developmental history, functioning across different areas of life, collateral information, and other possible explanations for attentional difficulties.
Following the appointment, you will receive a brief written report summarizing the findings and, where appropriate, an ADHD diagnosis. I will also discuss treatment options and practical next steps.
If the available evidence does not clearly establish ADHD, the report will explain what remains uncertain and what additional information or assessment might help clarify the picture.
A common misconception
ADHD is not simply a shortage of attention.
People with ADHD can sometimes concentrate extremely well. The difficulty is more often with the regulation of attention and action: directing attention where it needs to go, shifting it when necessary, beginning tasks, maintaining effort, keeping goals in mind and organizing behaviour over time.
That can produce a frustrating pattern: being obviously capable in some situations while repeatedly struggling with things that appear as though they should be easy.
A diagnostic assessment therefore looks beyond whether you can concentrate. The important question is whether a persistent developmental pattern of ADHD symptoms is interfering with everyday functioning.
Questions before booking?
A focused assessment. A clear answer where the evidence allows.
The Frequently Asked Questions provide more detail about the assessment process, childhood evidence, fees, written reports, and whether this service is likely to fit your needs.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions