ADHD Assessment For Children
The most common reasons for enquiries to LANcuk include concerns about:
- Disruptive behaviour at home and/or school.
- The failure of the child to respond to normal disciplinary and management procedures.
- Persistent impulsive behaviour which may cause a danger to the child, disruption in the classroom, or problematic social skills.
- Weak concentration which is impairing the child in the classroom.
- Problems with mood swings, anxiety or depression, lack of emotional warmth, lack of friendships, and failure to progress academically or socially as a teenager.
Pre-Assessment
- We encourage parents to contact LANCuk prior to the assessment to find out what will be involved, what the expectations of the assessment are, and to arrange to forward to us any previous reports.
- There are formalities to be completed such as agreeing to terms and conditions, discussing funding and answering any pertinent questions.
- The family will be sent our childhood history form for completion and where appropriate forms to be completed by adolescents.
- We will also ask parents to contact school with our teacher feedback form and request school reports.
Assessment
This is followed by a consultation completed by a paediatrician or psychiatrist and usually takes approximately two hours. The assessment collates the tests that have been previously completed, and time is spent taking a careful history from the child and his or her parents. Evaluation of assessments and previous strategies are made. A clinical assessment is made as to whether or not the child has ADHD, ASD or any other coexisting conditions that may or may not be present.
Having come to a conclusion regarding the diagnosis, time is then spent during the assessment evaluating an appropriate management plan. This will almost always include educational strategies and other support may include counselling, ADHD coaching, social skills training, or medication. The management programme is carefully delineated in conjunction with parents’ understanding and wishes.
As part of the clinical assessment, there is close liaison with schools, who are asked to provide information for the initial assessment and also feedback on the child’s progress. This service also includes guidance to teachers, on educational strategies for helping the child with ADHD and related conditions in the classroom.
Following the clinical assessment, on most occasions, the professional will want to be in regular contact with the family, particularly when new management strategies are being put in place. To monitor the patient, a follow-up appointment is made as appropriate and arrangements for more frequent contact if necessary by phone or e-mail between appointments.
On some occasions, our clinical child assessment is also completed in conjunction with some of our other assessments, enabling us to assess all of the individuals difficulties, determining whether a diagnosis is appropriate or not and creating a management plan. These assessments may include:
