ADHD Assessment: What Do I Need to Bring?
Preparing for an ADHD assessment
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.
Information about your childhood
Because ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition, information about your earlier experiences can be particularly useful.
If you have access to them, you may want to bring:
old school reports
educational assessments
childhood medical or psychological reports
information about your behaviour or attention at school
relevant family information.
You don't need to have every childhood record available. Not having school reports doesn't mean an assessment can't take place.
Information about your current life
It can also be helpful to think about where you notice difficulties now.
For example:
work or study
relationships
managing household responsibilities
finances
appointments
organisation
time management
concentration
completing tasks.
You might find it useful to write down a few examples of situations where you think your attention or organisation gets in the way.
What about someone who knows you well?
Depending on the assessment process, information from someone who knows you well may be helpful.
This might be a partner, parent or another person who has observed your difficulties over time.
Again, you don't need to have the “perfect” person or perfect information.
The purpose is to build a well-rounded picture of your experiences.
Do I need to prepare for the questionnaires?
You don't need to study for an ADHD assessment or work out what answers will lead to a diagnosis.
The most useful thing you can do is answer honestly and describe your experiences as they actually are.
Try not to focus only on your most difficult days or your best days. Think about what is generally true for you and how your difficulties have affected your life over time.
The most important thing to bring
Bring your questions.
If you've been wondering whether ADHD might explain some of your experiences, it's completely reasonable to want to understand what the assessment involves, what the results mean and what happens afterwards.
You don't need to diagnose yourself before coming to an assessment.
The assessment is there to help make sense of the bigger picture.