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Diagnosis
When you realise that your child is different, you may find yourself facing behaviour challenges, learning difficulties, and a shift in family dynamics. The weight of this situation often falls on the parents, leaving you without a clear path, support, or a manual to follow. It can feel isolating, as if you're the only one striving to help while others seem to doubt your concerns. Let’s begin by discussing the diagnosis process.
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Create a notebook.
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It's crucial to take notes as soon as you notice your child facing difficulties. Include dates and times, details about the surrounding environment at the time, what occurred before after the issue, any comments made, what they are wearing, and what they are saying. Additionally, if you have ADHD/ASD yourself or another child with ADHD/ASD, it's beneficial to start this notebook as soon as possible, noting milestones. ADHD is highly hereditary, and the more information you gather, the better, even if you ultimately don't need it.
Make sure this is a team effort with involving others so you don't' miss anything and use your phone to talk into if you don't have your note book to hand.
If you have ADHD yourself this may be very difficult to be consistent with so plenty of support is vital.
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​Vital information
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Gather as much information around any family history that you can. Any family members with ADHD/ASD. If mum or your partner do not have ASD but mum's brother has ASD it could still be carried by mum even though mum doesn't express any symptoms.
Has there been any medial history that need to be included, prem baby? Asthma, hypermobility? any co-morbidities( co existing conditions that up to 80% of people with ADHD have)
Any family environmental issues drug use, alcohol etc.
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Speak to your doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor and take everything
in your note book so that he has a clear picture.
Your GP will then contact your school for a further assessment in school (which at this point they may already have it documented.)
He may also refer you to a specialist which will depend on local services and age.
This could be a long waiting game but you the following options:-
You could go private which is very costly at around £1000 for the assessment and £150 per review if you want to have medication. The prescription alone can cost around £50 and the medication will start at around £60 for one month. However even if you do start with this route and want the GP to take over this is not an automatic process, you will still need an NHS diagnosis for this to happen so the Right to Choose is the other option whether you have a private diagnosis or not.
Look up ADHDuk-Right to Choose - ADHD UK this will give you a list of services provider in the UK. It will show their waiting times, what services they offer and contact details. If you find a service provider you like, click on them and they will have a link to their assessment process often including a template letter to send to your GP. Fill this in and send - they will guide you from there.
The Diagnostic process​
The diagnostic criteria followed is usually the DSM-5. There is also the ICD-10 and 11 but this doesn't recognise ADHD formally and uses the criteria for hyperkinetic disorder(HKD) instead.
The DSM -5 is a list of symptoms that the service user must present for a minimum of 6 months. Some of these symptoms must be present before 12 years of age and they must be present in at least two settings- eg. home and work.
Evidence may need presenting- eg. from school. At least 5 symptoms will have to be present depending on age.​
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