NNeurodivergent Clinic

Children and teens · By video, Australia-wide

Child ADHD assessment, and what happens next.

A full assessment against DSM-5-TR criteria by a registered psychologist, using what you see at home and what school sees. We also tell you at the start who can prescribe for a child in your state, so the report has somewhere to go.

Start the free screener

Who this is for

Parents of children and teenagers where attention, activity or impulsivity keeps coming up — on report cards, at parent-teacher interviews, or at home every evening.

What parents often notice

  • Homework that takes hours for twenty minutes of work
  • “Bright, but not applying themselves” on every report card
  • Hats, jumpers, lunchboxes and permission notes lost every week
  • Cannot stay seated, talks over people, acts before thinking
  • Quiet daydreaming that is easy to miss, especially in girls
  • Big emotions that arrive fast, over small things

Plenty of children do some of these. What an assessment looks at is how many, how often, since when, and how much they get in the way.

Child ADHD assessment

$1,650

Ages 12 and over, including the full written report. Children under 12 are quoted on enquiry, because the approach depends on age.

Assessing for autism at the same time is $1,950, in one process with one report.

We confirm your appointment date and your report date in writing when we reply, before you pay anything.

Start the free screener

How it works for a child

  1. Start with the free screener

    About three minutes. Choose ‘My child’ and it points to autism, ADHD, both, or a learning assessment — and tells you if an assessment does not look like the right next step.

  2. Your child’s story, from you

    Early development, behaviour, sleep, school, friendships and family history. For a child, a parent’s account is the backbone of the assessment.

  3. Rating scales from home and school

    Standardised questionnaires from you and, with your permission, from a teacher. ADHD has to show up in more than one setting, so school’s view is a core part of a child’s assessment, not an extra.

  4. Time with your child, by video

    The psychologist spends time with your child and with you. What that looks like depends on age: more play and observation for younger children, more conversation for teenagers.

  5. Differential diagnosis

    Anxiety, poor sleep, a learning difficulty, autism, or a hard stretch at home can all look like ADHD in a child. Telling those apart is most of what an assessment is for.

  6. The report

    Plain English, with the reasoning shown, and structured for what it has to do — a prescriber, school support, or both. A second clinician reviews it before it is signed.

About medication for children

A psychologist can diagnose ADHD but cannot prescribe. For children, starting medication has traditionally been a paediatrician’s or child psychiatrist’s job, and in most of Australia it still is. Some states have opened up GP pathways since late 2025, but mostly for adults:

  • Queensland: the change that lets specialist GPs start medication, from 1 December 2025, applies to adults. For children it is a paediatrician or psychiatrist.
  • Western Australia: WA Health states that specially trained GPs can assess and diagnose ADHD in patients aged 10 and over, and prescribe. Complex presentations still go to specialists.
  • New South Wales: trained GPs have been able to continue stable scripts since 1 September 2025, and a second phase training GPs to diagnose ADHD began in March 2026, with places limited.
  • Everywhere else: a paediatrician or psychiatrist, under each state’s own rules.

Current as at 25 September 2026, in a fast-moving area. We confirm what applies to your child at intake rather than relying on this list. The full state-by-state table is on the ADHD assessment page.

Medicare. The prescriber’s appointments are billed by that doctor, usually with a Medicare rebate. Under-25s can also claim rebates on psychologist assessment sessions after a paediatrician or psychiatrist referral in some situations, and we check whether that applies to your child before you book. How the rebates work.

We do not prescribe on request. Medication is one option among several, it suits some children and not others, and that is a clinical decision made by the doctor who sees your child.

Questions

Does school need to be involved?

It helps a great deal. ADHD has to show up in more than one part of life, so a teacher’s view is normally part of a proper assessment for a child. Nothing goes to school without your permission.

Is a psychologist’s diagnosis enough for medication?

It is enough to diagnose, and for school support. For medication, a paediatrician, a psychiatrist or, in some states, a trained GP has to be satisfied in their own right, which usually means one further appointment. We build that into the plan instead of pretending it does not exist.

Do I need a referral?

Not for the assessment itself. A referral from a paediatrician or psychiatrist matters if you want to claim Medicare rebates on assessment sessions, and your child will need to see a prescriber if medication is on the table.

Does ADHD get my child onto the NDIS?

On its own, no. ADHD is not on either NDIS access list. It can still form part of a picture where something else meets the criteria, but do not book an assessment expecting it to open that door.

What if it turns out to be autism instead, or as well?

That happens often, which is exactly why we assess for both when there is any hint of it. The combined assessment is here.

Not sure yet whether it is worth the money? The free screener takes about three minutes. Choose ‘My child’ and it tells you which assessment fits, and whether one is a reasonable next step. It will tell you if the answer is no. Start the free screener.

Where this information comes from

We would rather you checked us than took our word for it. Every link below is the original source, not a summary of one.

Links to external sites are provided for reference. We do not control them and they may change. Last checked 25 September 2026.

Not sure where to start?

For your child, your adult son or daughter, or yourself. The free screener takes about three minutes and tells you which assessment fits — or whether you need one at all.

Start the free screener