Combined child ADHD & autism assessments

Here at Evolve, we offer combined ADHD and autism assessments for children. If you can see traits of both in your child we can help.

What to expect How to request

Combined ADHD & autism assessments

You may feel from reading about autism and ADHD, that your child has elements of both. This is not uncommon, many people have more than one neurodevelopmental condition. There are also some common traits between autism and ADHD which can make them difficult to differentiate.

Our clinicians are highly skilled at helping with this. We do combined autism and ADHD assessments for children and young people on both our NHS Right to Choose and privately funded pathways.

What to expect from an assessment

When having a combined assessment, your child will see a clinician in person, or online, for a developmental history - this will take up to four hours. But, don't worry, this is carried out over two sessions, so they are not too long!

Your child will also be seen by a different clinician for a one-to-one assessment, which again, may be online or face-to-face. Not everyone can have this online, this will be discussed on booking.

For the ADHD assessment, your child may also have a Qb test which is always in person. After your assessments, our clinical team will meet to decide whether to give a diagnosis or not. Your child may receive a diagnosis of autism and ADHD, one or the other, or no diagnosis. The outcome will be explained to you at your feedback meeting. You will then receive a report summarising your child's appointments with us and explaining the outcome. You will also be sent some recommendations about services and resources that may be able to support you and your child through the next steps.

More about what to expect

How to request an assessment

You can come to us for a combined child ADHD and autism assessment through one of two routes:

NHS Right to Choose - we are recognised as an approved provider by NHS England. If you would like to be assessed through Right to Choose funded by the NHS, please go to your GP to discuss the suitability of having an assessment with us at Evolve.

Privately Funded - we are able to offer privately funded autism and ADHD assessments. We accept referrals from health insurance companies. Please contact us to find out more about costs and what to expect from this assessment. You will also find lots of helpful information in our FAQs.

Learn about the assessment process

Kate talks you through the whole assessment process

Learn about the Qb Test

Tom talks you through what to expect in your child's Qb Test

The current wait time for the NHS Right to Choose child assessment is 12-16 months. This is subject to change.

Learn about the one to one assessment

Heather talks you through what to expect in your child's one to one assessment

A video to help your child understand the assessment

This short animation is designed to help children understand what to expect during the assessment

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Screening appointment

You may not know yet whether to have a full assessment. You may want a screening appointment first. Our screening appointments are an hour long. During this time, you will meet with a clinician - either in person, or online. Before your appointment, we will have sent you forms to gather some initial information about you, your child and differences you see in them. At the appointment, your clinician will ask you to build on what your concerns are, and why you are thinking about an assessment.

They will ask a variety of questions to find out all the information we need to make the decisions regarding next steps. It is helpful to have your child present for some or all of this depending on their age, in order for the clinician to meet with them. The clinician may be able to tell you what assessment would be appropriate, however, on some occasions, they might discuss it further with our clinical team before making the recommendation.

Following your appointment, you will receive a letter with recommendations within two weeks. Contact us to find out more about pricing for private screening appointments.

Meet the team

Laura Clitheroe

Specialist Neurodevelopmental Practitioner (SaLT)

Sacha Crossley

Assistant Psychologist

Philippa Berry

Specialist Neurodevelopmental Practitioner (SaLT)

Meet more of our team

Frequently asked questions

Take a look at some of our frequently asked questions below. Here, you can get answers and insights from our team of expert clinicians.

We do not usually have parents in the one to one assessment. Our clinicians are skilled at making the sessions interesting and fun. We understand children will be nervous before coming, please see our location videos to familiarise yourself with the clinic you are coming to. We also have a video about what to expect from the one to one assessment. Our clinicians are skilled in putting young people at ease so that they can really be themselves.
For younger children, to help explain why they are coming to clinic please click here to see this animation.
Sometimes children may need their parent for the first few minutes to settle and after that we encourage parents to leave for the session. Parents are required to remain on site throughout the assessment therefore the clinician can always bring your child to you if it is felt appropriate.
After the history assessment and one to one assessment, our team meet to discuss all the information gathered. We will have had school forms already, however we need to gain an up to date picture of your child at school or we may need some additional details. We may benefit from information from another professional involved with your child and may ask them too. We will always contact you first before requesting any further information.
Sometimes the outcome for the children who see us is a no diagnosis. Humans are complex and sometimes what the child is experiencing is not due to autism but something else. There could be a trauma in their past; a learning disability; or maybe a head injury that make the situation more complex. It may be developmentally this is not the right time to have a diagnosis and your child would benefit from developing further and coming back for an assessment at a later stage.
Some children have some challenges with areas relating to autism but their overall pattern does not fit the criteria for a diagnosis. When we have our feedback meeting with you, we will signpost you where we can to what else we think it might be. Hopefully this will help you seek the right support.

Our clinic locations

Exeter

Harrogate

Huddersfield