
Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Assessment & Diagnosis
What is ADHD?
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that often remains unrecognised during childhood but can significantly affect adult life, impacting everything from career success to personal relationships. Adults with ADHD may struggle with maintaining focus, organising tasks, planning, and following through, which can lead to challenges in managing everyday responsibilities. This often results in missed deadlines and forgotten commitments, including meetings or social plans. Adults with ADHD might also experience difficulty in controlling impulses, which can manifest as impatience in queues, mood swings, or outbursts of anger.
Symptoms of ADHD
The symptoms of ADHD often manifest in various ways, especially affecting focus, organisation, and emotional regulation. Common symptoms include:
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Impulsive Behaviour: Quick decisions without forethought.
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Organisational Challenges: Difficulty in organising tasks prioritising responsibilities and maintaining order.
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Time Management Difficulties: Struggles with gauging and managing time effectively.
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Concentration Issues: Problems with maintaining focus on specific tasks.
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Multitasking Problems: Inability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously & when attempts are made to do so, getting overwhelmed by handling multiple responsibilities.
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Excessive Activity or Restlessness: A constant need for movement and/or activity.
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Mood Instability: Frequent and intense mood fluctuations.
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Stress Management Issues: Lower tolerance for stress, with challenges of coping effectively under, leading to avoidance behaviours.
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Low Frustration Tolerance: Small frustrations can easily escalate to significant distress.
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Task Completion Difficulties: Challenges with completing tasks and following through on commitments and projects.
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Quick to Anger: Emotional regulation difficulties leading to a short temper.
Causes of ADHD
ADHD's causes are believed to be multifactorial, involving:
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Genetics: A family history of ADHD.
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Environmental Factors: Prenatal exposure to toxins such as lead.
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Developmental Factors: Disruptions affecting brain structure and function.
Diagnosing ADHD
ADHD Diagnosis involves:
Diagnosing ADHD can be complex, as its symptoms often overlap with other conditions such as anxiety, complex PTSD, or mood disorders. We offer initial consultations with our psychologist and psychiatrist who can guide further testing as required.
What does the ADHD assessment involve?

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Initial Screening Online
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Face-to-face or online interview with client & their significant others (e.g. parents, caregiver, partner, school) to discuss client's current difficulties and developmental history
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Collection and interpretation of psychometric (questionnaire) measures completed by parents, client, and other sources.
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Liaison with school/university/college to discuss strengths and difficulties seen in the school environment
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Report completion, including findings and recommendations for home, academic setting, or workplace.
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Feedback session - to discuss the report and its main findings and recommendations with clients and their significant others if appropriate.
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Optional - A cognitive assessment - if it is deemed necessary or requested
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Differential Diagnosis: Careful evaluation to distinguish ADHD from other mental health disorders.
Our Assessment Process in Detail
ADHD assessment: Before we get into a detailed diagnosis, we complete a screening test to ensure that ADHD is indicated. ADHD assessment is a multi-step process, and can be conducted through a single online session lasting with a follow-up hour the next week. It can also be divided into 2 online sessions. We generate a report after the assessments and evaluations.
The Initial Consultation: This will be conducted as a single online interview lasting 2.5 to 3 hours to gather a detailed history, with a follow-up hour the next week. It can also be divided into 2 online sessions of 2 hours each, both with the same psychologist for consistency.
During this initial consultation, we gather information about the individual’s childhood behaviour, school performance, current symptoms, and any other relevant concerns.
We use checklists and rating Scales which help to quantify and characterise ADHD symptoms. They are typically filled out by the person being evaluated, and often by teachers or family members to provide additional perspectives.
The Clinical Observation will be carried out about the individual's behaviour during sessions. This can provide insights into attention span, impulsivity, and hyperactivity.
We sometimes use Neuropsychological Testing to assess memory, attention, and other cognitive functions. This helps to rule out other conditions or provide a more comprehensive understanding of one's cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
It's important to rule out other medical conditions that might mimic ADHD or contribute to attention problems. This can include hearing or vision problems, sleep disorders, or other neurological issues.
We review Past Records which could include school records for younger individuals, past psychological evaluations, and any other relevant documents to get a detailed history of symptoms and challenges over time.
The other Assessments we may conduct include assessment for learning disabilities, anxiety, depression, or other co-existing conditions as necessary.
After gathering all necessary information, we offer a Feedback Session during which we meet with the individual (and possibly their family) to discuss findings, provide a diagnosis if applicable, and discuss potential treatments.
Our approach to ADHD assessment is comprehensive, since we know that many conditions can mimic or coexist with ADHD. Proper diagnosis ensures that the most effective treatments can be pursued.
There are several checklists and rating scales we use in the assessment of ADHD. These tools provide standardised measures to evaluate symptoms and their impact on daily functioning. The most common ones we use are Conners' Rating Scales (CRS), comprehensive tools that assess for ADHD and its most common comorbid disorders.
They come in different versions, including scales for parents, teachers, and adolescents/adults.
We also use the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviour (SWAN) Rating Scale, a tool that measures ADHD symptoms across a continuum, from significant deficit to above-average abilities.
Treatment Options for ADHD
Treatment strategies are tailored to each individual’s needs and may include:
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Medications: Treatment options for ADHD in adults typically include medication and psychological therapy. Medications, divided into stimulants and non-stimulants, can improve focus, reduce impulsivity, and enhance calmness. Stimulants are often the first line of treatment and are effective for about 80% of individuals. Non-stimulants, on the other hand, increase noradrenaline in the brain to boost alertness and reaction time.
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Psychological therapy: Especially integrative, titrating the best parts of especially but not excluding other modalities CBT, CFT, ACT for coping strategies and emotional regulation.
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Behavioural Interventions: Techniques to improve organisational skills and reduce problematic or unhelpful behaviours.
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Educational/vocational Support: Assistance to manage educational or vocational challenges.
Living with ADHD
While there is no total cure for ADHD, effective management using a combination of medication and therapies can lead to significant improvements, enabling individuals with ADHD to lead fulfilling and productive lives.
Fees: Payment and cancellation
Payment is due one week prior to the first appointment and can be cancelled with no penalty up to 48 hours before the appointment.
Ready to Embrace Your Unique Journey?
From insights to action in one step! Discover the convenience and coherence of having both ADHD diagnosis and prescription services under one roof with Neurodiverse You. Why bounce between providers when you can jump straight from understanding to solution? Streamline your journey towards focus and clarity with us—where getting help is as simple as getting diagnosed