ADHD Assessment Services.
An assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may be indicated for those who have experienced long-term difficulties in paying attention to tasks or to other people, planning, organisation, distractibility, time management, restlessness, and/or hyperactivity.
About ADHD Assessment
The Australian ADHD Professionals Association released the Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD in 2022, which include the following recommendations for the diagnosis of ADHD:
Clinicians making diagnosis be registered with AHPRA, trained in diagnostic assessment using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) and/or International Classification of Diseases (ICD), experienced in ADHD diagnostic assessment and in clinical assessment procedures generally;
ADHD assessment include a full clinical, historical, and psychosocial assessment related to the person’s symptoms and strengths, where symptoms are assessed against diagnostic criteria;
Observer reports and assessment of the individual being assessed are gained;
A medical assessment to exclude other possible causes of the symptoms is conducted;
Rating scales and observational data are useful adjuncts to diagnosis, but diagnosis should not be based solely on this data.
The guidelines outline screening measures and rating scales that may assist in the diagnosis of ADHD, and recognises that cognitive assessment (intelligence testing, tests of brain-based skills) has not been found to improve the validity of an ADHD diagnosis, but may be helpful to rule out other difficulties.
If you have been researching ADHD assessments, you may have found variability in how these assessments are conducted and the costs involved. This is because although the guidelines outline what is required for a diagnosis, it does not outline a standardised protocol to obtain that information. As such, there is a lot of variability in how clinicians obtain the information to support a diagnosis, how much detail is gained from the methods used, and therefore the quality of the report outlining the results and recommendations resulting from the assessment. For example, the rating scales identified as helpful in assisting in the diagnosis of ADHD vary quite considerably in the information gained, and therefore the quality and quantity of the information that results; two different clinicians may conduct the same clinical assessment but two different rating scales recognised by the guidelines are used, and so the quality and quantity of the information gained from the questionnaires may differ considerably.
For many people, gaining access to medication is an important part of ADHD management. Psychologists cannot prescribe medication for ADHD - initial access to medication will require the involvement of a psychiatrist. Your diagnostic assessment report from a psychologist may be helpful in an assessment undertaken by a psychiatrist, and therefore may be helpful in assisting you to gain access to medication (which is at the discretion of the medical doctor); however, a psychiatrist will likely need to conduct their own assessment to confirm the diagnosis of ADHD.
It is important to keep in mind, that assessments of ADHD may or may not result in a diagnosis. A referral to a psychiatrist for further assessment may be required, and diagnostic clarification by a psychiatrist may be required for access to medication.
My ADHD Assessment Services
I provide comprehensive ADHD assessments for adults (18+). My assessment will provide a thorough investigation into your symptoms, including against the symptoms of ADHD as per the DSM-5. My assessment is based on your current and historical symptoms and the impact on you, your life history, information gathered from relevant observers (where available), and information gathered from validated and comprehensive self-report data. This thorough clinical assessment is important in ruling out other explanations for your experience; for example, trauma, sleep disorders, or generalised anxiety. This ensures that you are then provided with the most relevant recommendations and treatment options for your experience. You will be provided with a comprehensive report outlining the findings of our assessment, as well as recommendations that may be useful in the management of your symptoms, and that may be helpful in supporting modification of workplace or study environments; these will be covered with you in a feedback session, and complemented with a one-page summary of the need-to-know information.
What’s involved?
An initial screening to assess whether an ADHD assessment is appropriate for you, prior to booking.
Completion of a number of online questionnaires by you. Questionnaires assessing your symptoms of ADHD are only available through administration by a clinician (i.e., they are not freely available online).
Copies of historical information such as school reports (where available) are desirable.
Assessment of your background, completed at my clinic in Spring Hill. This will often take up to 2 hours, and can be completed over an extended session or divided into shorter appointments.
A diagnostic assessment assessing your symptoms of ADHD. This will often take 2-3 hours, and can be completed over an extended session either in person at my clinic in Spring Hill, or over Telehealth.
Questionnaire completion by an individual who is familiar with your current level of functioning (e.g., a co-worker, partner, or housemate), and who is familiar with you in an area of life that you are impacted by your symptoms.
A feedback session is conducted with you approximately 2 weeks following the assessment, where I will provide a plain-language overview of the findings of the assessment and recommendations. A 1-page summary will be provided outlining the need-to-know information.
I will provide a technical report of the assessment findings and relevant recommendations.
Payment information
Assessments take at least 9 hours of clinical time ($260 per clinical hour; i.e., $2340 total), taking into consideration our face to face time, time taken to review questionnaires and information received outside of face to face time, and report completion with personalised recommendations made specifically for you.
Sessions are paid for at $260 per clinical hour as we go, and following our final face to face session you will be invoiced $1040. Reports are not written until final payment is made.
A 48-hour cancellation policy applies to assessment and feedback sessions, where you will be charged $260 per hour booked if less than 48 hours notice is provided, or if booked sessions are not attended.
This service is provided as a stand-alone service. You do not require a referral for an ADHD assessment, as these assessments are privately billed, or may be billed using NDIS funding for self- or plan-managed participants. Medicare rebates are not available for ADHD assessments.
To book in for an ADHD assessment, please contact me. These assessments are not available for online booking due to the need to conduct screening prior to our first session together.