ADHD Assessments

There isn't one particular age at which a child can first be assessed for ADHD. However, age and developmental level are especially important when assessing younger children.

The core ADHD characteristics described in the DSM-5-TR are the same across the lifespan, but what we expect someone to manage changes considerably as they develop. For example, the criteria include difficulties organising tasks and activities, and frequently losing things needed for everyday activities. These may be meaningful difficulties for a school-aged child who is expected to keep track of their belongings, but we wouldn't expect a very young child to manage these things independently in the same way.

High activity levels, shorter attention spans and impulsivity can also be developmentally expected in younger children. We therefore look at whether the overall pattern is beyond what would be expected for your child's age and developmental level, rather than simply whether individual ADHD characteristics are present.

For younger children, your psychologist will consider whether there is enough information to confidently answer the diagnostic question now. In some cases, we may recommend waiting until your child is a little older before completing a formal ADHD assessment, when developmental expectations are clearer.

This doesn’t mean you need to wait to get support. We can still help you understand what your child may be finding difficult and provide practical recommendations and strategies to support them at home, kinder or school.

ADHD diagnostic criteria require several symptoms to be present across two or more settings. For children, this will often mean gathering information from both home and school, kindergarten or childcare.

We will usually ask an educator to complete questionnaires and may seek additional information from them where needed. This helps us understand how your child manages with different expectations, routines and demands.

It’s not unusual for children to present differently at home and at school. Different environments place different demands on a child and provide different levels of structure, routine and support. This can mean that parents and teachers notice different things.

When there is a difference between what is being seen at home and at school, we explore why that difference might be there. We may gather more detailed information from your child’s teacher, consider how they manage in different situations at school, or seek information from other people or settings where appropriate.

Importantly, the diagnostic criteria for ADHD do require evidence that several symptoms are present across two or more settings. This doesn't mean they need to look exactly the same in every environment, but there does need to be evidence of ADHD characteristics beyond one setting.

If this isn't clear from the information we initially gather, we may need to explore further before making a diagnostic decision.

Being able to concentrate well at times doesn't rule ADHD in or out.

Attention isn't an all-or-nothing ability. A child may find it much easier to sustain attention when something is particularly interesting, engaging or motivating, while having considerably more difficulty regulating their attention during other activities.

An ADHD assessment therefore looks at the broader pattern of attention and functioning across different activities and environments, rather than simply whether a child can concentrate.

No. Questionnaires are useful assessment tools, but a questionnaire score does not diagnose ADHD.

They are an important part of the assessment process as they help us systematically gather information about your child and compare what is being observed across different settings. Your psychologist then considers these results alongside developmental history, information from different environments, everyday functioning and the other information gathered throughout the assessment. 

The Australian ADHD guideline specifically recommends against making an ADHD diagnosis solely on the basis of rating scales or observational data.

We strongly recommend a medical review as part of an ADHD assessment.

There are a range of medical and physical health factors that can influence attention, concentration, activity, sleep, energy and executive functioning. A paediatrician or other appropriate medical practitioner can consider these alongside the psychological assessment and investigate medical factors where needed. This is a more thorough process than can usually be done by a GP. 

A medical practitioner is also the appropriate professional to discuss medication and other medical treatment options if ADHD is diagnosed.

You don't need to have completed this appointment before contacting Playology or beginning the psychological assessment.

No. You can contact Playology directly to start an ADHD assessment. You don't need a referral from a GP, paediatrician or other professional to book with us.

If your child's paediatrician or psychiatrist is already leading their assessment, they can also refer to Playology for particular assessment components.

Medicare rebates are generally not available for an ADHD assessment alone.

In some circumstances, rebates may be available when ADHD is being assessed alongside another condition that meets Medicare's eligibility requirements, such as autism or another eligible complex neurodevelopmental condition.

A Mental Health Treatment Plan or GP Chronic Condition Management Plan cannot be used to claim Medicare rebates for diagnostic ADHD assessment appointments.

If your child is being assessed for more than one area, or you have received a referral and aren't sure whether it can be used, please contact our Client Care team before booking. We can check the referral and let you know whether any assessment appointments may be eligible for a Medicare rebate.

An ADHD assessment isn't undertaken with a predetermined outcome.

If your child doesn't meet the diagnostic criteria for ADHD, we'll explain what we found and why the criteria were not met. We will also consider whether another developmental, learning, emotional or health-related factor may better explain the pattern we're seeing, where the assessment provides evidence for this.

Regardless of the diagnostic outcome, you'll receive recommendations based on what we've learned about your child and what may support them going forward.

Yes. ADHD and autism can co-occur, and sometimes questions about both arise during the same assessment.

Because of the flexible way we structure our assessments, we can explore both where appropriate rather than automatically requiring two completely separate assessment processes and reports. This can save families significant time and cost compared with completing one assessment and then starting another from the beginning, as information and assessment components can be brought together as part of the same process.

Your psychologist will discuss which components are useful for answering the questions about your child, rather than adding assessment unnecessarily.

Yes. Please send us any previous assessment reports, school or kindergarten information, or reports from other health professionals that may be relevant.

We'll consider the information that's already available when planning your child's assessment so we don't unnecessarily repeat assessment that has already been completed.