How do I get an adhd diagnosis for my 12 year old daughter

[HappyCake1234]

She’s become more challenging during lockdown which adds to my first thoughts of adhd. How would I go about this and what happens? Is it like 1 or 2 meetings or is it phone calls etc. I am aware this is different for every area and child however, any input would be great as I’m trying to grasp an idea of what it would be like if I decided to get her tested.
Many thanks

[cantstopsinginglittlebabybum]

From what I've heard yes it does. After diagnosis it can take up to 6 months to start medication and then they have a break from it during school holidays, doses are altered slowly. That's why I'm glad I had my son assessed privately so there wasn't any length of time between diagnosis and discussing/starting next steps.

If I were you, I would go to the GP but be prepared for them to say you need to go via the school.

Make an appointment for a private assessment. Research them thoroughly before you book, look at their Facebook pages, reviews online, check credentials and what testing measures they're using for the assessment.

Please pm me if you want more information or support.

[HappyCake1234]

There’s so many mixed opinions around it’s so hard to choose which path to take. I reckon I might analyse her behaviour further and go private but also try and get her put on the waiting list for camhs. I assume camhs will involve multiple consultations or meetings?

[cantstopsinginglittlebabybum]

@Rollergirl11 he's doing great, he's made friends, he remembers things, he has so much more opportunity now to do things as before starting meds, he just couldn't concentrate and focus at all.

[drspouse]

You'd be surprised, now DS is on meds, he does his learning apps on his own, and he likes the patterns questions so I got him a non verbal reasoning practice book and after sitting with him to do 3 papers he did the fourth on his own.

(These are the 11+ kind - he's not doing it and it's from the year below - but it was a surprise to me that he could do it on his own and concentrate well enough to finish it, check his work occasionally etc.)

[SodaSodaBanana]

@Rollergirl11 same. DS is in Primary, but I can’t see him managing GCSE exams at all unless I’m sat next to him

[SodaSodaBanana]

In our area the pathway is closed until sept due to corona. We had to do the Vanderbilt and submit an assessment with the school. Dx took around 18 months, I’d been concerned for 3 years.

Have a look at 1-2-3 magic and www.additudemag.com/ for strategies. I would recommend watching some TED talks by young people with ADHD and some of the ADHD kids on Tik Tok and then rewatching them with your daughter. She might see some of herself in them, and see that if she does have ADHD is not a negative, she’ll just know more about how her brain functions than her friends.

[Rollergirl11]

@cantstopsinginglittlebabybum how are the meds working for you if you don’t mind me asking? Homeschooling with DS these past few months has really brought home to me how much he struggles with his concentration and his executive functioning.

[cantstopsinginglittlebabybum]

@HappyCake1234 we went private for my son. I made the appointment 2 weeks ahead so school could fill out paperwork, he was seen, assessed and diagnosed that day after the appointment and started meds 2 weeks after that.

First prescription was private, I quoted the guidelines to the GP and the nhs now prescribe. Camhs have never seen him. He is on the waitlist but it's been nearly a year and he's not had an appointment through.

[cantstopsinginglittlebabybum]

@Rollergirl11 nhs can prescribe even with private assessment as private prescriptions are regulated by the NHS.

[cantstopsinginglittlebabybum]

GP, school or go private.

[Rollergirl11]

We are in Surrey.

[Rollergirl11]

We went for a private assessment for DS (11 at the time, now 12) back in February. It was with a Consultant Neurodevelopment Paediatrician. DH was assessed for ADHD and ASD and has been diagnosed with ADHD. The assessment cost us £600. If they suspected ASD then there were further assessments at a further cost. We were just about to speak to DS’s school
about next steps but didn’t happen before lockdown. We also had a home visit scheduled with a behavioural specialist but that had to be cancelled due to Covid.

The Doctor spoke to us about medication and said that it is singularly the most effective treatment for ADHD but obviously we were still digesting it all and it was too early to discuss. She said that If we decide to go down the medication route then she would prescribe initially and we would have to pay for it. Then hopefully within a few months of commencing we could transfer to the NHS for the medication prescription.

[HappyCake1234]

Wow 84 weeks is horrendous. There’s so many options and processes it’s hard to judge which route to follow

[drspouse]

The wait for my DS was 84 weeks. We went private. If you are even slightly thinking you might consider medication you will need to work with a medical doctor. I'm not sure an EP can diagnose as you'd need to exclude other medical conditions.

[elliejjtiny]

I don't know much about adhd but I have 1 son diagnosed with asd and 1 currently being assessed. Ds1 took 7 years from me raising concerns to a diagnosis. Ds5 has taken 6 years so far.

[IamHyouweegobshite]

I am in the same position as op. My dd was dx as having asd a year ago. I have always thought she also had adhd and possible pda. These two have been very clear during lockdown. She's starting secondary school, so the teachers will have limited knowledge of her, so I think it's probably best to go back to the gp.

[giggly]

In my trust area CAMHS have a 12 waiting list for routine neurodevelopmental assessment. Information from how she is at home and at school are the first part of the assessment process along with a detailed development history. Then screeners are used to aid assessment but generally your daughter would be seen around 4 times before any diagnosis would be offered and that’s only if the information/evidence from all sources are the same.
Just bare in mind that many NHS trusts will no longer accept private diagnosis if you want the NHS to continue with prescribing medication which is costly if done privately. Again in my trust even if you have a private diagnosis and you want meds you will need to have a CAMHS assessment. This is because many of the private diagnosis would not be given and unfortunately a lot of families simply get a dc as they are paying. Sad but true. Also bare in mind that most CAMHS do only offer dx and not aftercare unless there is a significant mental health disorder. That is due to the ridiculous number of referrals.

[TimeWastingButFun]

Definitely go privately otherwise you will have a looong wait, especially now.

[lakesidesummer]

Honestly given the state of CAMHS currently if you can afford it yes I would definitely recommend going privately.

[HappyCake1234]

Would you recommend the private route? How long did it take?

[lakesidesummer]

We aren't in UK and cost was around 2.5k.
We haven't gone medication route, we may in the future.
But we did get adjustments agreed at school, including extra time and laptop if need. These have made a huge difference.
Teacher said that dc may need another assessment pre GCSE as they are only 11 currently but the adjustments would be used in exams.

[raffle]

A diagnosis of ADHD certainly will help in terms of opening up the option of various medications that can be prescribed to help your DD. Our DS takes medikinet on school days and the effect on his behaviour has been amazing. No more exclusions, and he’s come on in leaps and bounds.

[Echobelly]

It's expensive - cost us about £1250 (Ed psych assessment and school visit, two psychologist appointments) to get to Dx. This is in London, mind - might be less elsewhere. But we'd never had got the traction with statutory service sadly.

[HappyCake1234]

How much do you reckon a private diagnosis would be?
Another thing is that if she does have it, exam arrangements can be made before she starts exams in 3 years time

[AuntyFungal]

You can self refer for a private assessment. Either an Ed Psych with further training in paediatric neurodevelopmental disorders or a Clinical Psych, again with specialty in SpLDs and neurodevelopmental.

You will be sitting on a long waitlist for assessment and therapeutic help via the NHS.

The NICE gold standard Is assessment by a multi disciplinary team (MDT). I can recommend a Clinical Psych in east London if that’s any use.

Don’t be fixed on a diagnosis.