How Do I Know if My Child Should Have an ADHD Assessment?

It's completely natural to wonder what to do next. This guide will help you think through whether an ADHD assessment might be right for your child.

This is the question most parents ask first. Young children are naturally full of energy, easily distracted and still learning to manage their feelings. That's a normal part of growing up.

With ADHD, the difference is usually about three things:

• Age: the behaviour is noticeably different from other children of the same age. A 4-year-old who can't sit through a whole story is very common. A 10-year-old who still finds it really hard is more noticeable.
• Strength: the differences are strong enough to make everyday things harder, like learning, friendships or family life.
• Time: they've been there for a while, at least six months, and usually since your child was young.

ADHD is rarely diagnosed before the age of 5, because so much changes in the early years. If your child is younger, it's still fine to talk to your GP or health visitor about your concerns.

Attention

• seems not to hear when spoken to, especially with instructions that have several steps
• loses or forgets things every day, like school bags, PE kits or homework
• starts tasks but rarely finishes them
• focuses deeply on things they love, but finds other tasks almost impossible to start

Activity and impulsivity

• always on the go, climbing, running or fidgeting
• finds sitting still at mealtimes or in class really hard
• calls out, interrupts or finds waiting their turn difficult
• acts quickly without thinking about what might happen

Feelings

• big emotions that come on quickly and take longer to settle
• very sensitive to criticism or feeling left out

If you have a daughter: girls with ADHD are often missed. They're more likely to be chatty, quiet or disorganised than disruptive. Many hold it together at school, then release all the built-up stress at home. If school says "she's fine here" but home feels very different, that's still worth exploring.

An ADHD assessment doesn't rely on one checklist or one appointment. A specialist looks at the bigger picture, including:

• Different settings: do the differences show up at home, at school and in other places, such as clubs or with friends? ADHD needs to affect more than one setting.
• Development over time: when did you first notice them? How have they changed as your child has grown? Clinicians look at early development, nursery and school years, and now.
• Everyday impact: how much do these differences affect learning, friendships, confidence and family life?
• Your child's strengths: what they enjoy, what they're good at and what helps them.

That's why information from both home and school is so important. You see your child in ways a teacher doesn't, and a teacher sees them in a setting you can't.

Some things can cause similar difficulties with focus, energy or behaviour. These might include:

• sleep problems, including not getting enough sleep or snoring and disrupted breathing at night
• hearing or vision difficulties, which can make it hard to follow what's happening in class
• anxiety or low mood
• learning differences, such as dyslexia, where a child switches off because the work feels too hard
• autism, which often occurs alongside ADHD
• big changes or stressful events, like moving house, a new sibling, bullying or family difficulties

These can also exist alongside ADHD. A good assessment will consider them carefully, and it can be worth asking your GP to check sleep, hearing and vision early on.

These questions can help you decide

• Have these differences been there for six months or more, and often since your child was little?
• Do they stand out compared with other children of the same age?
• Do they show up both at home and at school?
• Are they affecting learning, friendships, confidence or family life?
• Have you tried routines and strategies that haven't made much difference?
• Does school share some of your concerns?

If you're answering yes to several of these, it may be worth seeking professional advice or an assessment.

Get help sooner if your child talks about hurting themselves, seems very low or anxious, is refusing to go to school, or is at risk of exclusion. Speak to your GP straight away, or call 111 (NHS 111 in England and Wales, where you can choose option 2 for mental health support, or NHS 24 in Scotland). In Northern Ireland, contact your GP out-of-hours service. In an emergency, call 999.

• Keep a few notes. Jot down real examples of what you notice and when. A note on your phone is enough.
• Talk to school. Ask your child's teacher or the school's special educational needs lead what they see. School can often put support in place without a diagnosis.
• Speak to your GP. They can talk through your concerns, check for other causes and refer your child for an NHS assessment if needed.
• Consider your options. NHS waiting times can be long, so some families choose a private assessment.

You don't need to be certain it's ADHD before asking for help. Raising your concerns is simply the first step towards understanding your child better.

Raiys works nationwide, offering online ADHD assessments for children and young people aged 5 to 17 across the UK. Our assessments are carried out by an experienced, specialist ADHD team, follow NICE guidelines, and gather information from both home and school.

Concerned about your child? Find out more about our child ADHD assessment.

You know your child best. Trusting your instincts and asking questions is one of the most helpful things you can do for them.