So you went to the GP surgery and got a referral to a provider of ADHD assessments. They have asked you to provide details of people who can comment on how they experience you. Include testimony from someone who knew you before age 12.
You have an online assessment booked. Is there anything you could do to prepare?
Different providers may carry out their assessments differently, but I’ll outline main points from my assessment in 2025. I know that by the time I got to the assessment, I was convinced I had ADHD, which explained much. Moreover, my nerves were such that I would feel lost if I wasn’t diagnosed, so the stakes felt high and possibly I was very animated in the assessment carried out online, as I tried to use examples to demonstrate what I was going through.
The assessors will come from different backgrounds and should have had specific training to carry out the assessment. It won’t necessarily be carried out by a mental health doctor, though we hope the report would be checked and signed off by a psychiatrist or similar. Through Skylight Psychiatry, my assessor was a speech and language therapist, and her report did comment on tone of voice, body language, and speech patterns as well as covering the questions that she asked me.
Preparation for Assessment
Here are some tips for preparing for assessment.
- If you are going through a ‘Right to Choose’ provider through the NHS you are hopefully familiar with the process and how they do their assessments. Read up on their website, anything they send to you and ask others with ADHD who they went with and whether they would recommend them. This would normally be at the point of GP referral when they ask you who you want to be referred to. Ask them if they have any recommendations
- Make notes ahead of the assessment so that you don’t forget things you really want to say, to do yourself justice. Lived examples of your struggles will help
- Look back at the ASRS form or anything used to refer you which records why you think you could have ADHD. Make some notes of examples of the behaviour asked about in the questions so that you can help them to understand how the traits affect you
- Be ready to ask any questions for the start of the assessment in case they haven’t already told you – How long will it take? Will you tell me if you think I have ADHD at the end? Are you also assessing me for Autism? Potential AuDHD? What will happen if I do have ADHD regards medication? How long should I expect to hear from you/see a report? For my provider I did get a pre-assessment pack as well as a very comprehensive report 3-4 weeks after. Here is their webpage which is a good example of explaining ADHD and how they assess it
- When you get to the end of the assessment ask any questions that occur to you. If you are told that you do not meet the criteria for ADHD diagnosis ask them for advice on what you could do next
ADHD Assessment Overview
The ADHD assessment is a pivotal moment in your life. It typically lasts 1–2 hours and may influence the choices you make afterward. Approach it with openness, viewing it as a chance to understand your patterns. It can point to strengths you have overlooked.
Use the opportunity to understand yourself better and gain a new perspective on your life. Read more here from the provider who diagnosed me. I get no reward for mentioning them! Take notes, ask questions, and consider how these insights apply to daily choices.
To help you to identify how ADHD may present in your life take our ADHD Screener Tool, it doesn’t take long and gives you a chance to help to identify where it features in your life. This would be really helpful preparation for your assessment.