ADHD Assessments for Teenagers
Being a teenager comes with balancing school, friendships, family, and sometimes part-time work. If you notice your teen struggling with focus, restlessness, or keeping up with daily demands, an ADHD assessment for adolescents can provide clarity and guidance. Our assessments help families understand how attention, organisation, and executive function affect everyday life and how best to support your teen.
With you at every step
How an adolescent ADHD assessment helps
An ADHD assessment provides families with insight into how your teen’s attention, organisation, and executive functioning may affect school, home life, and social interactions. Understanding these differences is not about labelling, it’s about helping you and your teenager access strategies, guidance, and support that make everyday life more manageable. You’ll be seen by clinicians who specialise in adolescent neurodevelopment - people who understand how attention, executive function and social expectations affect teenagers at school and home. These are the stages of the ADHD assessment process:
Screening
Our clinician-led initial screening determines whether a structured ADHD assessment is indicated. We review current experiences, daily functioning and information from home or school to advise on the most appropriate next steps.
Information Gathering - School/College
To understand functioning across settings we request a recent school / college report and an online screening questionnaire. Teachers complete structured forms about attention, organisation and social interaction. If you’re not in education, we ask for collateral input from another suitable professional or an adult who knows you well.
Assessment
Our adolescent ADHD assessments are multidisciplinary, led by clinical psychologists or consultant adolescent psychiatrists with expertise in adolescent neurodevelopment. We gather developmental history, standardised ADHD measures, clinician interviews, and collateral information from school and home.The assessment identifies patterns of attention, executive functioning, and emotional regulation, including masking behaviours. Following assessment, families receive a clear report with personalised recommendations for practical support, strategies, and, where appropriate, treatment options.
Diagnostic Report
You will receive a comprehensive diagnostic report that provides a detailed breakdown of each aspect of the assessment process, key observations, and whether you meet the criteria for ADHD. The report provides practical recommendations for home and school, helping you understand the best ways to support your development, learning and wellbeing. Our reports follow recognised UK clinical standards and are commonly accepted by the NHS, educational institutions and other services.
Treatment / Support
If ADHD is indicated, our team guides families through support options, including behavioural strategies, educational adjustments, and discussion of medication in line with NICE guidelines. Specialist prescribers assess suitability, initiate plans, and review progress, ensuring ongoing care is coordinated with your teenager’s GP or NHS services. Our goal is to help families feel informed, supported, and equipped with strategies that work for their teen’s everyday life.
Understanding ADHD in adolescence
What is ADHD in teenagers?
ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) can affect attention, organisation, impulsivity, and daily functioning. In adolescents, signs may differ from younger children, such as difficulty focusing on study, challenges with organisation, restlessness, impulsivity, or social difficulties. Recognising ADHD provides clarity for families and educators and opens the door to practical strategies and support.
Getting assessed
What are the benefits of acting now?
A timely ADHD assessment gives clarity about your teen’s strengths and challenges, helping families work with schools and other services to put strategies and accommodations in place that support learning, wellbeing, and daily life. It can help you understand how your teen experiences school or college, and provide practical tools to make learning and daily routines easier. You’ll also gain clearer communication with teachers, guidance on the support your teen is entitled to, and insight into planning next steps, whether that’s college, university, an apprenticeship, or work. In the UK, private ADHD assessments offer a quick and straightforward way to get this clarity, so your family can move forward with confidence. Contact our team to arrange a consultation.
Challenging Behaviours
Challenging Behaviours
Children with ADHD can be very tricky to manage as they are not always able to respond to your requests and direction. Due to their impulsivity and high levels of activation, they might find it difficult to listen, stay on task or sit still. This can be very stressful, especially with the pace of life and competing demands from family, school and work. Families can get stuck in unhelpful cycles, where parents become frustrated with their children and children act-up more as they can’t always do want is wanted.
Difficulties with friends
Difficulties with friends
Social relationships at school can also suffer due to ADHD. Children can be unintentionally bossy or directive with their friends – their impulsivity and hyper-focus make it difficult to maintain positive relationships. Girls with ADHD might show their traits differently and have more internalised difficulties. They may also struggle with their self-esteem.
Difficulties at School
Difficulties at School
Children with ADHD can find it hard to reach their potential and often feel ‘told off’ more than their peers due to their difficulty in sticking to the rules. ADHD has nothing to do with how clever a child is but when a child can’t concentrate long enough to solve a problem, they won’t be able to show their true potential.
Testimonials
Some words from our adolescent patients
To give you an idea of how we work and how we might help you.
We couldn't be more grateful to the great team at Psicon.
Great communication and service from Psicon. My daughter was seen by lovely doctors under the right to choose pathway and we couldn't be more grateful to the great team at Psicon.
The whole process took between 6-8 weeks from start to finish.
I couldn’t be more grateful for Pscion. After waiting years on the NHS for my sons ADHD assessment and him constantly being failed by everyone, we decided to go privately instead. The whole process took between 6-8 weeks from start to finish.
A very smooth and stress free service.
An amazing service from both the clinicians and specialists that saw myself and child, were very helpful, informative, went above and beyond with advise and support. A very smooth and stress free service, thank you
As a parent, it gave me the reassurance that my daughter will grow up knowing how her mind works
My daughter came out of her ADHD assessment feeling very positive about herself and empowered. As a parent, it gave me the reassurance that my daughter will grow up knowing how her mind works and what she needs to put in place to help herself along the way. We are very grateful to have been given such high quality care.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're here to answer your questions
Taking the first steps to understanding why your child feels different, unhappy, or is struggling takes courage. We’re here to help you make sure you find the right support for your child and your family.
Will my teenager's school / college accept a diagnosis?
Yes. Our assessments fully comply with NICE guidelines and are conducted using a highly regarded clinical model. Your teen will be seen by a specialist clinician (a paediatrician or psychiatrist) as part of the assessment, which is not always the case with private services. We are also a trusted NHS provider and frequently work with NHS Trusts and ICBs to support waiting lists. This means a diagnosis from our service is generally accepted by both the NHS and schools or colleges when supporting adjustments.
What if the assessing clinicians don't pick up on the signs (masking)?
ADHD can show up in many different ways, and some teenagers learn to mask or camouflage their difficulties; this is especially common among girls. Our assessments are designed to pick up on these subtle signs. We gather information from multiple sources, including home, school, and objective measures such as the QB Check, an online test that compares attention and activity levels against typical ADHD patterns. The results help our clinicians get a clear picture, even when behaviours aren’t obvious, ensuring the assessment reflects your teen’s real-world experiences.
Can ADHD develop during the teenage years? What does it look like in adolescents?
Some teens only start showing clear signs of ADHD as school, social life, and daily responsibilities become more demanding.Teenagers with ADHD may struggle to focus, control impulses, or keep tasks and schedules organised, even when they’re putting in their best effort. A thorough assessment by a specialist, such as a clinical psychologist or adolescent psychiatrist, can help determine whether ADHD is contributing to these challenges and what support might help.
My teen's school hasn't expressed any concerns; how will this affect the assessment?
Lack of concerns from school does not rule out ADHD. Some teenagers cope well in structured environments but struggle at home or during periods of high demand. We take all settings into account, and the assessment remains valid even if school reports do not highlight significant difficulties.
Get in Touch
We're with you at every step
Every teenager is unique. Understanding whether ADHD is contributing to your teen’s difficulties can make daily life more manageable. Our private ADHD assessments for teenagers offer families clear guidance, personalised recommendations, and a plan to support your teen’s success and wellbeing.