ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis

Since you’re already reading this article you already know that assessment and diagnosis of ADHD is an important step in determining the right course of treatment. ADHD is a mental health condition that is often characterised by difficulty concentrating, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Unfortunately though, your GP is unlikely to be qualified to diagnose it, since diagnosis is within the purview of specialists such as psychologists and psychiatrists.  

For those living with this condition, it can be difficult to manage day-to-day tasks or activities without proper support and treatment, and proper support and treatment often depends on an official diagnosis. Many people are self-diagnosed as the most common symptoms are quite well known, and when looking into the issue further they discover unknown symptoms, such as anger management, anxiety, task paralysis, and rejection sensitivity dysphoria equally apply to them.

The first steps many people take toward getting their diagnosis is to get an assessment. Your ADHD assessor is going to be qualified to take details from you and put them all together in a casefile. If they find that you do indeed have a high likelihood of having ADHD, they will pass your file on to a doctor who’s a specialist in mental health who can look into it, meet you, and complete your diagnosis.  

The assessment process for ADHD usually begins with a physical exam from a doctor or healthcare provider to rule out any other underlying conditions. When you meet with the doctor who’s going to be making the diagnosis they will carry out a battery of tests and assessments of their own. These can include psychological evaluations, interviews with family members or teachers, questionnaires about symptoms, review of medical records and school reports, and other tests that assess behaviour and cognition.

ADHD in Children

If you suspect your child may have ADHD, the first step is to speak to your primary care physician. They can evaluate your child for possible causes of the behaviour, such as anxiety or sleep disorders. They can also carry out physical tests which may affect a child’s behaviour or inability to concentrate at school. This could include problems such as being hard of hearing, meaning that the child appears to ignore you, fails to follow instructions, and doesn’t pay attention to lessons. All symptoms common to ADHD as well as deafness.  

Some food intolerances are thought to cause hyperactivity as well. Milk and wheat have been identified by some as being triggers for allergies which cause ADHD-like symptoms and it is known that some foods do cause reactions which trigger or amplify ADHD in both children and adults who do in fact have ADHD.  

If your doctor feels that ADHD is likely and that further evaluation is necessary, they should refer you to a specialist who specialises in diagnosing and treating ADHD in children. Along with gathering information from you about your child’s symptoms and behaviours, they will carry out an assessment, including tests designed specifically for children with learning disabilities like ADHD.

After Diagnosis

Once you or your child have your ADHD diagnosis in hand there are many more options available to you. You will now be able to get medication which is proven to help treat the symptoms of ADHD (as ADHD itself isn’t curable), financial benefits such as Access to Work funding which you can use for a number of different services, one of which is ADHD lifestyle coaching, and because ADHD is a recognised disability, you will be able to ask for reasonable adjustments at work to help you do your job better.  

If it’s your school age child who has ADHD you will be able to get specialist education which is suited to the ADHD brain, so they won’t be punished for not paying attention or fidgeting any more. You’ll have the option of medication for them. Some parents are against giving children drugs which affect their behaviour, while others see such an improvement, not only in their behaviour, but their academic success, their relationships at home and in their peer groups that they believe that medicating their child is the right thing to do.  

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