ADHD Assessment Perth (Child/Teenager)
At Southside Psychology, we have extensive experience working with children and teens with ADHD and offer ADHD assessments for children and teens up to 16 years of age.
Please note that for a prescription of medication following an ADHD diagnosis you will need to make an appointment with a paediatrician, specialist GP or psychiatrist as these are the only health professionals who can prescribe ADHD medication. Whilst we can provide a formal diagnosis and comprehensive report, given ADHD is a schedule 8 medication, paediatricians and psychiatrists do complete their own assessment in regards to confirming ADHD diagnosis.
About ADHD
The condition, ADHD, is one which has been getting ever-increasing attention over the past twenty years or so with rates of diagnosis in both adults and children increasing over this time. ADHD has many symptoms, and this is what can make the diagnosis of it difficult in particular cases. ADHD has an overall prevalence of 3.4% in children and is estimated to be around 2.5% in adults. ADHD often presents differently in females and males, with boys often displaying more hyperactive/impulsive tendencies and females may tend to display more inattention symptoms.
Any parent will undoubtedly be thinking that their child has at some point displayed some of these, and many of them are what you might describe as typical childhood behaviours. However, when those behaviours become excessive, a child displays several of them, and they have a significant negative impact on a child's life, that is when the correct diagnosis and treatment of ADHD is essential.
At Southside Psychology, we specialise in working with children with ADHD and offer assessments for children and teenagers up to 16 years of age.
There are 3 types of ADHD:
Signs of ADHD
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✔️ Short attention span
✔️ Forgetfulness
✔️ Obvious mistakes with schoolwork
✔️ Being distracted easily
✔️ Difficulty listening
✔️ Difficulty in being organised
✔️ Not completing set tasks
✔️ Unable to follow instructions
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✔️ Unable to concentrate
✔️ Talking excessively
✔️ Excessive movements
✔️ Unable to sit still or quietly
✔️ Fidgeting constantly
✔️ Acting impulsively
✔️ Interrupting others when they are talking
✔️ Poor sense of danger
An ADHD Assessment will look at whether your child may have issues maintaining their attention and/or if they have issues with hyperactivity and impulsiveness. An ADHD assessment may be requested by your child’s school, your family GP, your Paediatrician or you may self refer. We conduct ADHD assessments in children and teenagers up to age 16.
Please note that whilst our assessment can provide a formal diagnosis of ADHD and make comprehensive recommendations based on this as well as on your child’s learning profile (as we also do a cognitive assessment as part of the ADHD assessment), if you are seeking medication treatment you will still need to engage with a paediatrician or psychiatrist following our assessment as these are the only health professionals who can prescribe ADHD medication.
An ADHD Assessment will consist of:
Parent/individual interview and a cognitive assessment
Parent and teacher ADHD behavioural assessment
Liasion with teacher and other health professionals as required
Report preparation
Parent feedback consultation and referral onto a paediatrician for ongoing management
Our assessments are generally conducted in our Success clinic, however a home or school visit can be arranged if required for an additional travel fee.
The total cost of an ADHD assessment is $1350 which includes the assessment sessions/clinical interview, comprehensive report and feedback session.