Despite changing attitudes towards neurodiversity that recognise it as a difference in how the brain functions rather than a deficit, for an individual experiencing undiagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions, there can still be a great level of distress and confusion over how you think and feel.

Our ADHD assessment and screening services work with individuals to provide clarity, validation, and a structured pathway for a different future.

The Challenge

The individual – an adult in their early 40s living in the UK – had longstanding difficulties with attention, organisation, emotional regulation, and cognitive overload. Significantly affecting the individual's daily life, these difficulties were consistent across various aspects of life, including their full-time employment, relationships with friends and family, and personal wellbeing.

With no previous formal diagnosis of ADHD and despite possessing high ability and motivation, the individual reported ongoing feelings of being overwhelmed, burnt out, experiencing inconsistent productivity, and a persistent sense of ‘underachieving’. Historic coping strategies no longer proved effective and the individual felt increasingly distressed and misunderstood.

Compiling these feelings was the added frustration of trying to navigate traditional assessment routes, which included combating lengthy waiting times and long-term uncertainty about where and how to seek the appropriate support.

Our Approach

After previous experience going down traditional (and often overstretched) routes left the individual feeling unheard and uncertain, they came to IntrospeXion seeking a more specialised and person-centred approach.

Listening to the challenges the individual had long faced and hearing their frustrations, IntrospeXion was approached because of our reputation for delivering clinically robust, psychologically informed ADHD assessments that prioritise wellbeing.

In this specific case, the individual needed:

• A professional and punctual evaluation process.
• Clinical clarity from qualified psychologists.
• A thorough and scientifically sound diagnostic process.
• Use of validated assessment tools.
• A psychologically safe and supportive environment for assessment.
• Clear diagnostic outcomes and practical recommendations.

Working one-to-one with the individual, our compassionate team conducted a comprehensive, gold-standard assessment of ADHD using multiple validated methods. This included self-report, informant, and clinician-administered tools, combined with detailed clinical judgement.

The assessment involved:

• Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1).
• Wender Utah Rating Scale (25-item version) to explore retrospective childhood symptoms.
• Diagnostic Interview for ADHD in Adults (DIVA-5) to evaluate DSM-5 criteria across the lifespan and different settings.
• ADHD Clinical Outcome Scale – Self-Report Version (ACOS).
• Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS) to measure real-world functional impact.
• Rating of Attention-Deficit Traits and Emotional Regulation – Informant Version (RATE-I) to confirm symptoms externally.
• Generalised Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD).
• Patient Health Questionnaire – Depression (PHQ-9).
• A thorough review of personal, developmental, and medical history.

This integrated approach ensured accurate diagnosis while capturing the full complexity of the individual’s psychological presentation.

The Transformation

Our assessment provided clear diagnostic insights and a thorough understanding of the individual’s neurodevelopmental profile.

The individual described feeling a significant sense of relief and validation, with longstanding challenges reinterpreted through an evidence-based clinical perspective rather than being seen as personal failure.

After our intervention, initial outcomes included:

• Improved self-understanding and emotional wellbeing.
• Reduced self-blame and anxiety.
• Increased confidence in seeking reasonable adjustments and support.
• Clear, actionable recommendations for next steps.
• A renewed sense of control and optimism regarding future functioning.
• The individual described the process as supportive and comprehensive.

The IntrospeXion Difference

Our approach was both clinically robust and psychologically informed, recognising that ADHD assessment is not solely about symptom identification, but about understanding impact, context, and wellbeing.

Key aspects of our approach included:

• Triangulation of data across self-report, informant input, and structured clinical interview.
• Careful differentiation between ADHD symptoms and overlapping anxiety or mood-related features.
• A trauma-informed, non-pathologising assessment style.
• Clear explanation of assessment tools, findings, and diagnostic rationale.
• Emphasis on validation, strengths, and lived experience.
• The assessment was conducted without haste, allowing the individual to feel heard, understood, and supported throughout the process.

Our experienced team established our approach by specifically evaluating ADHD symptoms before age 12 and in adulthood, utilising both self-report and informant assessment versions. This allowed confirmation of symptom persistence and impact throughout life, decreasing dependence on retrospective memory alone.

By triangulating clinical interview results with informant insights, we seek to improve diagnostic accuracy and provided a developmentally strong, evidence-based evaluation.