There are many reasons why people of all ages might have differences in attention; their level of activity; and why they might behave or make decisions quickly, without fully thinking through the consequences.  One of the reasons why this can happen is called ADHD.

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At Forward Thinking, we can assess these differences in children and young people aged 6 - 17, to try to help work out might be behind them, and whether one of the underlying reasons could be ADHD.  

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Our assessments are conducted by members of our team who have many years of experience in working with and assessing children for ADHD.  As part of the outcome of our assessments, we try to think about what a child/young person and the adults around them can do to help with these differences.

 

Please note:

This is a diagnostic assessment service - having an assessment does not guarantee that a diagnosis of ADHD will be given - diagnosis is entirely dependent upon the information gathered throughout the assessment. You can discuss this with us if you have any questions. 

 

We are only able to provide assessments of ADHD - Whilst we try to provide guidance around next steps should your child obtain a diagnosis, we are not able to assess suitability for, or to prescribe medication.

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To access this service, your child's school or college need to be in agreement that it would be useful to have an assessment for ADHD. 

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We cannot assess children under 6 years of age.

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We can offer both screening for ADHD, and "full" diagnostic assessments.  

Screening assessments:

We can help work out whether a “full” ADHD assessment is appropriate.  This screening assessment involves a questionnaire for parents/carers to complete along with a questionnaire for school to complete.  We will then analyse this information and provide you with feedback about whether we think a full assessment is warranted.  This assessment costs £185. 

 

“Full” Assessments:

The assessment will be completed by either by a member of our team, who is qualified to conduct these diagnostic assessments.  We provide a comprehensive assessment for AD/HD for children aged 6 and above which will consist of a few different elements, guided by the regulations set out by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE). We will conduct a full parent / carer developmental history and collect information from school or college.  As part of the process we ask families to provide any other reports that you may have from other professionals such as your GP, Paediatrician, Health Visitor or school.

 

As well as a comprehensive developmental history, we will ask for parents, school and the young person (if aged 8 and above) to complete a Conners-4 online questionnaire.  This is a questionnaire that is commonly used when assessing ADHD and provides further information regarding ADHD symptoms. 

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The assessment also includes a one-to-one session with your child, to talk about their strengths and difficulties relevant to ADHD; in addition to a behavioural observation. When indicated, a ‘Qb Check’ assessment will be completed alongside further assessment from the clinician.  The QB Check is part of “gold standard” ADHD assessments and takes 15 – 20 minutes.  It is a computer-based test that looks into all symptoms of ADHD.  This is not a stand-alone diagnostic tool but is extremely helpful in understanding ADHD-type symptoms.

 

Sometimes we need further information to be able to decide whether a child meet s the threshold for a diagnosis, and if needed, this would be discussed and agreed with you and your child in advance. 

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A full assessment of ADHD costs £1000.  You do not have to have a screening assessment in advance of a full assessment, but we would strongly recommend that your child's school / college agree an assessment is warranted before proceeding. 

 

This part of our service is an assessment and diagnosis service. Further treatment or

potential medication would require a referral to your local CAMHS team or an Independent Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist.  

 

A deposit of £200 is payable upon booking "full" assessment appointments.

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Joint assessments of ASC and AD/HD

Some children and young people require an Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) assessment alongside their AD/HD assessment. Information about this service can be provided upon request.  The price for a full ASC and AD/HD assessment is £3000.

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Feedback from assessments and reports

Where possible, feedback is given on the day of the face-to-face appointment.  The assessment includes a full report alongside the full Conners Questionnaires and Qb Check results. 

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Using our assessments to access support for your child:

We work very hard to make sure that our assessments are in-line with best practice guidelines and to NHS standards, so will be accepted by Local Authorities and the NHS Services - however, it is important to check that your child's report will be accepted by your local services. We are always happy to supply our credentials and assessments process to the relevant parties involved in your child's care.

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Prescriptions for medication

We can only provide assessments  of AD/HD and make diagnoses when appropriate. We cannot provide prescriptions for medication. To access treatment with medication, you will need to discuss this with your Local NHS Services or Independent Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist.  Whilst we ensure that our diagnostic assessments are completed to NHS standards, please check your local NHS services will accept an assessment from our service if this is something you would want to consider for your child, should a diagnosis be made.

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