ADHD Assessments
A Comprehensive ADHD Assessment
ADHD assessments in Sheffield at MODUS are designed to provide a thorough understanding of whether ADHD may explain the difficulties you are experiencing. The assessment looks beyond a checklist of symptoms, exploring your developmental history, current experiences and the impact these may have across different areas of your life.
What Does an ADHD Assessment Involve?
MODUS provides comprehensive ADHD assessments for adults and young people, generally from the age of 15. Assessments for younger children may also be considered following an initial discussion.
An ADHD assessment usually takes around 2 hours and is carried out in accordance with NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidance. The assessment has two main parts.
The first is a detailed clinical and developmental interview. Although this is sometimes referred to as a semi structured interview, in practice it is much more conversational. It provides an opportunity to talk through your current difficulties, childhood and developmental history, mental and physical health, education, work, relationships and other areas of everyday life. This helps to build a fuller picture and to consider whether there may be other factors contributing to the difficulties you are experiencing.
The second part uses the DIVA-5 for adults and Young DIVA-5 for children/young people, a peer reviewed, semi structured diagnostic interview for adult ADHD based on DSM-5 (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) criteria. It explores symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity in both childhood and adulthood, together with examples of how these may affect different areas of your life.
An ADHD diagnosis is never made on the basis of a questionnaire or symptom score alone. The information gathered throughout the assessment is considered as a whole when reaching a diagnostic conclusion.
Before Your Assessment
Before your appointment, you will be asked to complete a small number of questionnaires. These provide useful background information to help to build a picture of your current experiences before we meet.
Where possible, it is also helpful to obtain information from someone who knew you during childhood, such as a parent or other family member. This can provide additional information about early development and childhood experiences. Adults are welcome to bring someone with them to the assessment if they wish, although this is not essential. Where childhood information is not available, this does not prevent an assessment from taking place.
For assessments involving children or young people, a parent or guardian needs too attend the assessment also and will be involved in providing developmental and childhood information. Where appropriate, information may also be gathered from school or another educational setting.
After Your Assessment
Following the assessment, all of the information gathered is considered together to determine whether the diagnostic criteria for ADHD are met.
The outcome will be discussed with you and you will receive a comprehensive written report explaining the assessment findings and, where appropriate, the diagnosis.
With your consent, a copy of the report can also be sent to your NHS GP or another relevant healthcare professional.
A Thorough and Individual Approach
ADHD assessment is not simply about completing questionnaires or counting symptoms. The assessment considers the information gathered as a whole, including developments history, current experiences, the impact of any difficulties across different areas of life, and other factors that may provide alternative explanations for those difficulties.
Assessments are undertaken in line with current NICE guidance and use recognised diagnostic criteria and structured clinical assessment tools. The aim is to reach a careful, evidence based conclusion whilst making the assessment itself feel collaborative and straightforward.