Young Adult ADHD Assessment

[ChocolateTurtle]

My son is 21 and has just started his final year at university. He has just told me he thinks he may have ADHD and is interested in assessment. Can anyone give me any advice? Going private may be an option depending on the cost.
What is the waiting time for assessments NHS versus private? What would he need to get extra support from his uni - a standard ADHD assessment or is there something uni specific? How much are private assessments and is there still a waiting list? Any advice or info greatly appreciated - thanks!

We did this earlier this year for my DD (14)

NHS waiting list for children/adolescents was 2-3 years.

Private was just over 3 months.

Cost is going to be around £2k for first year and about £600 a year after we move to NHS shared care. Meds have been running at around £100 a month so I am looking forward to that!

At 21, I think it will be adult medicine rather than Child & Adolescent.

You will need to provide proof of symptoms before age of 12, so dig out all the old school reports, and symptoms need to be present in more than one situation (so home and school for example).

I haven't found there's much out there in terms of support - the meds have been fantastic for DD, but titration isn't always simple and there are definitely downsides and side effects. She already got 25% extra time in exams for severe dyslexia.

Thanks OhCrumbs. Is that 2k for the assessment or does that involve other costs? Would you recommend your private assessor/clinic?
Does the Adhd diagnosis also give your daughter extra time for exams or is that only available for her dyslexia?
I've read online about something called 'Right to Choose' where the NHS will fund private assessment - do you know anything about that?
It seems like a tough road ahead - either a long wait on the NHS or trying to find a lot of money for private assessment! Hope your daughter's doing OK.

The £2k includes initial assessment, follow ups at 3 months and then at 9 months and the cost of the meds.

I was very happy with the clinic we used, came highly recommended by a friend.

The 25% extra for exams has been in place since DD was 7 due to the severity of her dyslexia. I don't know what happens about that for ADHD - for us, it's a bit belt and braces I suppose. A lot of the thing with exam access arrangements is that it's more about normal way of working rather than just having the diagnosis - loads of kids with dyslexia don't qualify because their qualifying scores aren't low enough or there is no history of it being normal way of working. You'd need advice from someone who knows the system.

Right to Choose needs to use a provider who already does NHS services. GP didn't mention it to us. I knew the NHS list was 2-3 years, and I also knew with 99.9% certainty that DD would definitely get the diagnosis (both due to family history and due to so many parents of ADHD children quietly suggesting that we should seek a Dx... it was more than a little bit obvious 😬) so I wanted to find a private practice I was 100% happy with. Also, when I looked online, it seemed to be a 9-12 month wait with Right to Choose and I wanted things in place as fast as possible due to GCSEs.

DD is doing amazingly well on the meds and it's been a huge relief for everyone - had I known, I'd have done it years ago but I had reasons for waiting that were important (growth problems) and then Covid got in the way as well.

DS went through his GP. It did take a year but that was mainly because he has ADHD and I couldn't get him to fill in the bloody forms! Once he did fill them in it took around 6 weeks to get a diagnosis. So he was referred in March 2022 and diagnosed April this year but he'd had the forms for a whole year!

And DS' was through the GO but was under Right to Choose.

Has she spoken to Student Services?

Thanks OhCrumbs, that's really helpful.

Thanks Siouxie, that's great that your DS got seen so quickly (once he'd filled in the forms!). My DS hasn't spoken to Student Services, I have been encouraging him to do so, as I think it would be helpful, but obviously he will make his own mind up!