ADHD Assessment Process

What happens during an assessment

The assessment process is usually made up of a few appointments and can take several months to complete.

In your first appointment you will meet with a clinician who will gather information from you about your child’s development as well as their current strengths and difficulties.

It can be helpful to bring your child’s red book along to this appointment.

This appointment may also include a physical examination by the clinician to rule out other possible causes.

Following this appointment your child will often be invited to attend further assessment. This may include:

• a face-to-face meeting with the clinician (if your initial appointment was via Attend Anywhere)
• a cognitive assessment
• a meeting with another member of the team e.g. Paediatrician/Clinical Psychologist/Educational Psychologist
• a school observation.

We will also review the information provided from the questionnaires completed before the assessment and from other professionals (health visitor/teacher) who know your child.

Once we have gathered and considered all the information we will invite you to a feedback appointment.

What happens after the assessment

Once an assessment is complete, parents and carers are given information about support available at home and at school.

A number of children who come in for an autism assessment will not receive a diagnosis of ADHD. If this is the case we will discuss your child’s strengths and difficulties and make recommendations about further sources of support your child should receive.

Many of the children we see have other difficulties in addition to or instead of ADHD that may need further assessment. If this is the case we will refer your child onto the relevant services.

If your child is given a diagnosis of ADHD

You will be told during your feedback appointment if your child meets the criteria for a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder. The team will explain more about ADHD and how it might affect your child.

You will also be given information about support you and your child can get in the local area. For example, you may be given contact details for support groups that can give you the opportunity to meet other families with experience of ADHD, and advice about other services that are available.

The team will share information from the assessment with your child’s GP, and if you agree, with your child’s school or other professionals if appropriate, to help them offer you the support you need.

Following your feedback appointment, you will receive a letter confirming the diagnosis and the next steps. This letter can be used as evidence of a confirmed diagnosis.

If medication is recommended this will be discussed at the feedback appointment. If medication is started, a follow up appointment will be arranged with your child.

You will be sent a link to the ADHD advice resource pack. This will include information about autism and what support services are available in the local area and nationally.

You may be offered ongoing follow-up by doctors if there are ongoing medical concerns such as extremely restricted eating, significant sleep difficulties, emotional or mental health difficulties or other developmental conditions ASD, developmental impairment or motor coordination difficulties that need further assessment or monitoring.

If there are no ongoing medical concerns your child will be discharged, but we will always accept a referral back if anything changes for your child in the future.

About this leaflet

Author: Paediatric Core Diagnostic team
Written: July 2025
Approved: July 2025
Review date: July 2028
Edition: v1

If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk