Free assessment preparation guide

You don't have to prove you're ADHD enough

An assessment is meant to understand the pattern of your life — not reward whoever arrives with the neatest folder. This helps you gather what matters, without turning your story into a performance.

Start with a rough timeline

Dot points are enough. Use real moments rather than trying to remember diagnostic language. “I missed the bus three times this month” is more useful than “I have poor executive function”.

Earlier life

What did adults notice about attention, activity, daydreaming, talking, waiting, losing things or finishing work?
What took much more effort than your grades or achievements suggested?
Were there routines, people, fear, perfectionism or last-minute pressure holding everything together?

Life now

Where do time, memory, starting, stopping, switching or organising create the most friction?
What happens when something is interesting, urgent, new or emotionally important?
What is the impact across work or study, home, money, relationships, driving, sleep, eating and looking after yourself?

The wider picture

What else might shape the picture: sleep, trauma, anxiety, depression, autism, dyslexia, hormones, pain, substance use or physical health?
What medications, supplements or treatments are you currently using?
What helps already—and what looks helpful from the outside but costs too much to sustain?

Bring what exists—not what you think you should have

School reports, work feedback or old assessments, if they are available.
A current medication and health list.
Two or three examples from different parts of life.
Notes from someone who knew you earlier, only if this feels safe and useful.
Your own questions, worries and hopes for the assessment.

Missing school reports, family estrangement, migration, disrupted schooling or not having a reliable childhood witness should be discussed—not treated as personal failure. Ask the assessor how they work with incomplete records before you pay.

Your real life is the evidence.

Questions worth taking with you

How will you explore childhood onset if reports or family collateral are unavailable?
How do you consider autism, trauma, sleep, mood, anxiety, substance use and physical health?
What is included: interviews, questionnaires, collateral, feedback, report and follow-up?
If medication is something I want to discuss, who will prescribe and monitor it?
How will my GP be involved, and what happens after the assessment?
What should I do if parts of the process are inaccessible, overwhelming or culturally unsafe for me?

If organising it alone is the hard part

We can prepare the story together.

In a non-diagnostic preparation and care-navigation session, I can help you sort the timeline, identify the questions you want answered and plan the next step. I do not diagnose ADHD, prescribe medication or guarantee an assessment outcome.

Book a session Check current fees and credentials

General preparation only. This guide does not screen for or diagnose ADHD and does not replace individual medical or mental-health assessment. Written by Lauren Lynch, Accredited Mental Health Social Worker. Published 26 July 2026 · review due 26 January 2027.

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