Every child finds some aspects of learning difficult at times. But what if your child seems to be working much harder than their classmates, or continues to struggle despite extra help and encouragement?

Perhaps they are struggling with reading, spelling, writing or maths. Maybe schoolwork takes an unusually long time, they avoid particular subjects or their results don't seem to reflect their abilities.

If your child is working hard but continuing to struggle with reading, writing, spelling or mathematics, a learning assessment may help provide some answers.

Does your child seem to understand some mathematical concepts but struggle with basic number skills?

Perhaps they find maths unusually difficult, rely heavily on counting, struggle to remember number facts or become overwhelmed when solving problems.

If your child is consistently struggling with mathematics despite support and effort, a learning assessment can help clarify what may be contributing.

Does your child have good ideas but struggle to get them down on paper?

Perhaps writing takes them much longer than expected. Their handwriting may be difficult to read, spelling may be inconsistent, or they may become overwhelmed by written assignments.

If your child has strong ideas but struggles to express them on paper, a comprehensive learning assessment can help identify why.

Is your child struggling to learn to read despite receiving instruction and putting in effort?

Perhaps they find reading much harder than their classmates, struggle to sound out unfamiliar words, guess words rather than reading them, or find spelling particularly difficult.

If your child is working hard but continues to struggle with reading or spelling, a learning assessment can help identify their strengths and areas of difficulty.

You may have found yourself wondering, “Does my child have ADHD?”

Perhaps your child is bright and capable but seems to struggle to concentrate at school. Maybe homework takes hours, instructions need to be repeated over and over, or they are constantly losing things. You might have noticed that they are easily distracted, forgetful, restless or impulsive.

Or perhaps it is less obvious. Your child may be quiet, daydream frequently, take a long time to get started on tasks or seem to switch off when something doesn't capture their interest.

These experiences can leave parents wondering whether ADHD could be part of the picture,  particularly when the same difficulties seem to keep coming up at home and at school.

But how do you know?

If you've decided to explore an adult ADHD assessment, you may be wondering what you need to bring.

The good news is that you don't need to arrive with everything perfectly organised.

The purpose of the assessment is to help build the picture with you.

You may have heard the term executive functioning when reading about ADHD.

Executive functions are the mental skills we use to manage everyday life. They help us organise, plan, prioritise, start and finish tasks, regulate attention and keep track of what we need to do.

For adults with ADHD, these skills can be particularly difficult.

When many people picture ADHD, they imagine a child who is constantly moving, interrupting the teacher or struggling to sit still.

For many women and girls, ADHD may look quite different.

Difficulties with attention, organisation and executive functioning can be less obvious than more overt hyperactivity. A woman may appear quiet, capable and organised while privately working extremely hard to keep up with everyday demands.

This can mean that ADHD in women is sometimes missed until adulthood.

If you have started wondering whether you or your child may have ADHD, autism or a learning disorder, one of the first questions is often:

“Who can actually diagnose this?”

With psychologists, paediatricians, psychiatrists and GPs all involved in assessment and care, it can be difficult to know where to start.

The answer depends on what you are concerned about, whether the assessment is for a child or adult, and whether medication may be part of the treatment plan.

The good news is that you don't necessarily need to work all of this out before seeking help.

One of the most common reasons adults question whether they could have ADHD is simple:

“I did well at school, so surely I couldn't have had ADHD.”

But academic achievement does not automatically rule out ADHD.

A person can be intelligent, successful and academically capable while still experiencing significant difficulties with attention, organisation and executive functioning.

If your child is struggling at school, or you're an adult trying to understand longstanding difficulties with attention, learning or organisation, you may have come across terms such as WISC, WAIS or WIAT.

You might wonder: What do these assessments actually tell us? And can a cognitive assessment diagnose ADHD, autism or a learning difficulty?

The short answer is that cognitive and academic assessments don't diagnose ADHD or autism on their own. Instead, they can provide important information about how a person thinks, learns, processes information and approaches different types of tasks.

When combined with developmental history, behavioural information and other relevant assessment measures, this information can help build a much clearer picture of the individual.

If you're considering an ADHD assessment, you may be wondering what actually happens.

An assessment isn't simply a questionnaire or a computer test.

A comprehensive assessment aims to understand your experiences across your life, how difficulties affect you now and whether ADHD provides a meaningful explanation.

Difficulty concentrating, procrastination, restlessness and feeling overwhelmed can all occur with both ADHD and anxiety.

So how do you know which one is responsible?

The answer isn't always straightforward, and sometimes it can be both.

You may have found yourself wondering, “Do I have ADHD?”

Perhaps you've always felt like you have to work harder than other people to stay organised. You might struggle to start tasks, lose track of time, forget appointments, misplace things or become overwhelmed when there are too many things to do.

Or perhaps you've noticed something else: you can concentrate intensely on things that interest you, but struggle to get started on tasks that feel boring or overwhelming. You may have developed elaborate systems, lists and reminders to keep yourself on track, only to find that they don't always work.

If this sounds familiar, you may be wondering whether ADHD in adults could explain some of the difficulties you've experienced.

Perhaps you've noticed that your child experiences the world differently from other children. They might find social situations difficult, become overwhelmed by noise or busy environments, have very strong interests, prefer routines or become distressed when things don't go as expected.

Or perhaps it's more subtle. Your child may seem to manage well at school but come home exhausted, overwhelmed or needing significant downtime. You may have been told they're simply shy, sensitive, anxious or quirky, but something still doesn't quite fit.

If you're wondering whether your child could have autism, you're not alone. And you don't need to have all the answers before seeking help.

You may have come across the term AuDHD while researching Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or ADHD and wondered what it means.

Perhaps you've recognised characteristics of both Autism and ADHD in yourself or your child. You may relate strongly to information about autism, but also recognise difficulties associated with ADHD. Or perhaps you've received one diagnosis and are wondering whether the other might explain some of the experiences that don't quite fit.

AuDHD is an informal term used to describe the co-occurrence of autism and ADHD. It isn't a formal diagnostic term, but some people find it helpful because it reflects their experience of having characteristics of both conditions.