At ChATS we offer assessments for and Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (collectively known as ADHD); to children and young people aged 5 to 18 years.
A.D.H.D Assessment Process
Please note that the process may vary slightly depending on the individual needs of children and young people.
Stage 1: After you have contacted us and provided your details a member of the ADHD assessment team will contact you by phone. We will think with you about your reasons for pursuing an ADHD assessment, gather some basic information from you, explain our assessment process, and answer any questions you might have. This conversation usually lasts around 30 minutes.
Stage 2: If you decide to go ahead with an assessment we will send some forms via email for you, your child (if appropriate), and your child’s teacher to complete and return to us. We will also book a provisional date for your child’s assessment and would ask if possible that all questionnaires are received prior to this meeting. We are generally able offer a full assessment in a day but on some occasions this might not be possible.
(In some cases information from school may require further investigation; this may be in the form of a telephone appointment with the teacher or it may require an observation of your child in school. When the forms from school are received we will discuss this further should this be required as part of the assessment.)
Stage 3: On the day of your assessment a member of the ADHD team will meet with parents/carers to collect a detailed developmental history for your child, focusing particularly on characteristics of ADHD. We will also review the questionnaires you returned to us and ask any additional questions we might have. This generally takes between 3 and 4 hours.
There will then be a short break of around 30 minutes where the assessor will review the information they have collected from parents/carers, the young person, and the school. Wherever possible we aim to conclude assessments on the same day and give full feedback, including diagnoses (where appropriate), and recommendations. There are occasions when we will not be able to give feedback on the day (for example, if more information is required); if this is the case a separate feedback session either face-to-face or over the telephone will be arranged.
Stage 4: Following the assessment you will receive a short report detailing the conclusions of the assessment. A full report summarising the information gathered from all sources during the assessment will then follow.
Diagnostic criteria
ChATS use the DSM-5 criteria when diagnosing Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The diagnostic criteria are available to view via the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM-5 has chosen, based on the most current research evidence, to use an overarching diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder to replace previous diagnoses of Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Child Assessment and Treatment Service (ChATS) 