ADHD Assessments
Comprehensive, tailored ADHD assessments for children and teenagers in Melbourne, built on what you and your child’s school see every day rather than one afternoon of testing.
Comprehensive assessment profiles providing clarity for home and school life.
Australian school-aged children are living with an ADHD diagnosis
of children with ADHD present with another co-occurring condition
ratio of boys to girls diagnosed with ADHD during school
of childhood ADHD traits persist into adolescent and adult years
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
Attention works differently
ADHD is a difference in how a brain manages attention, impulse and energy, not a flaw in it. A child who has ADHD may lose the thread of a task within moments and stay locked onto something else for hours, and both are the same wiring doing its job. Naming it changes the story a family has been telling itself. Years of being told to try harder, concentrate, sit still and settle down begin to look like something other than character. An assessment is where that shift starts, with an explanation arrived at carefully that fits the child in front of you.
ADHD is a difference in how a brain manages attention, impulse, and energy — not a flaw in character.
What ADHD wiring actually looks like:
- Losing the thread of a task within moments
- Hyper-focusing on an engaging interest for hours
- Trying hard, yet struggling to concentrate or sit still
Naming it changes your family’s story, turning years of frustration into clear understanding. An assessment is where that positive shift begins.
Why families call
Most parents get in touch after a long run of small things rather than one clear moment. Mornings take an hour longer than they should. Instructions dissolve somewhere between the kitchen and the schoolbag. Homework that ought to take fifteen minutes takes two hours, or never arrives at all. Some children are noticed early because they are always moving. Others are quiet, drift through a lesson without troubling anyone, and are only picked up years later. Frustration can arrive fast and pass just as quickly, leaving everyone a little shaken. You do not need to be sure of anything before you call.
Most parents reach out after a long stretch of small daily struggles rather than one clear crisis.
- Morning routines: Taking an hour longer than they should
- Instruction fading: Directions lost between kitchen and backpack
- Homework battles: Brief tasks taking hours or remaining incomplete
- Unnoticed traits: Quiet children drifting through lessons without disrupting
Whether reactions pass quickly or leave everyone shaken, you don’t need to be certain before reaching out.
Inside an assessment
There is no single test for ADHD, so the work is careful rather than quick. We begin with an unhurried conversation about your child’s development, health, sleep and history, and about what school actually looks like from day to day. We then spend time with your child, and ask you and, with your consent, their teachers to complete structured rating scales, because ADHD shows itself differently at home and in a classroom. Where it would add something useful, we can observe in the classroom ourselves. We also look at what else might be going on, because more than one thing is common.
There is no single test for ADHD, so our process is thorough, collaborative, and structured.
What the assessment involves:
- In-depth talks about development, health, sleep, and school
- One-to-one sessions spent directly with your child
- Standardised rating scales for parents and classroom teachers
Optional classroom observations where beneficial
We also carefully evaluate co-occurring conditions to ensure we get the full picture.
What comes next
We talk everything through with you before a word is written, so the report holds no surprises when it lands. You then receive a written account of what we found, what it means for learning, friendships and home, and what would help, in language a school can act on without translating it first. Where the answer is not ADHD, the report still describes what your child finds hard and why. We explain who else may need to be involved, including your GP or paediatrician, and we can write to them directly. What happens next is your decision, and there is no obligation.
We discuss all findings with you before writing a single word so the written report contains zero surprises.
What you receive:
- Detailed account of how your child processes the world
- Practical strategies for learning, friendships, and home life
- Classroom-ready insights teachers can act on immediately
- Clear next steps for your GP or paediatrician, if desired
Where ADHD isn’t the answer, the report still clearly explains what your child finds hard and how to support them.
How We Help You
Reach out for an initial chat. We’ll discuss your concerns, review your child’s developmental background, and confirm the right assessment pathway for your family.
We gather comprehensive observations across home and school through interactive clinical sessions, parent consultations, and standardised teacher rating scales.
We meet to go over the findings together before delivering a clear, actionable report that equips schools and doctors to support your child.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral before booking an assessment?
No. You can contact us and book directly.
A referral from your GP or paediatrician can matter for some funding pathways, and it matters if medication is something you may want to explore later, so it’s worth asking us before your first appointment if either is relevant to you.
Can a psychologist diagnose ADHD?
Yes. The Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD, approved by the NHMRC, does not restrict diagnosis to any one profession. It asks instead that whoever does the work is properly trained and credentialed for it, and works within their area of expertise.
The one thing that is restricted is prescribing, which only a medical practitioner can do.
Is an assessment covered by Medicare?
An assessment with us is a private service, so the assessment itself is paid for by your family.
The most common mix-up we hear is about the Mental Health Care Plan — that plan is for therapy sessions, not for assessment. Some appointments around an assessment may attract a rebate depending on your circumstances. Ask us when you get in touch and we’ll be clear with you about what you’ll pay before you commit to anything.
What ages do you assess?
We assess children and teenagers up to age eighteen. An assessment for a seven-year-old and an assessment for a sixteen-year-old are very different pieces of work, and we plan accordingly.
For very young children, get in touch and we’ll talk honestly about whether now is the right time or whether it’s better to wait.
My child can focus on a screen for three hours. Doesn't that rule ADHD out?
No — it’s one of the most common reasons families talk themselves out of calling.
ADHD isn’t an absence of attention so much as difficulty directing it to order. Something fast, rewarding and interesting can hold a child completely, while a worksheet cannot. Both can be true in the same child on the same afternoon.
My child holds it together at school and falls apart at home. Will that be missed?
It’s exactly why we ask about more than one setting. Some children spend all day managing themselves in a classroom and have nothing left by four o’clock, and a teacher can honestly report that everything looks fine.
What you tell us about home carries real weight. It isn’t second-hand information — it’s evidence.
What about medication?
We don’t prescribe — that sits with doctors. If medication is something you want to explore, the conversation happens with your GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist, and we can write to them with what we found.
It’s also worth saying that a diagnosis doesn’t commit you to anything. Plenty of families use a report to change what happens at school and at home and go no further, and that’s a legitimate choice.
Can the report be used for school support or NDIS?
Our reports are written to be used — clearly enough for a school to act on, and detailed enough to support an application.
Tell us at the start what you’re hoping to use it for and we’ll make sure it covers what’s needed. We work with NDIS participants whose plans are self-managed or plan-managed.
How long does the whole process take?
It varies with your child’s age and what else is going on. We’ll give you a realistic timeframe for the appointments and for the written report when you book, rather than a general estimate that may not hold for your family.
How soon could we be seen?
Get in touch and we’ll tell you what’s actually available rather than a general answer. Availability moves through the year, so it’s always worth asking.
Let's start the Conversation
- For urgent support, please contact Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. This form isn't monitored 24/7.
- Melbourne & Mornington Peninsula
- Telehealth Available Australia-Wide
- 1300 233 211
- Send us a message via form
