Encompass Education Diagnostic and Assessment Service for Attention Deficit /Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

We have listened to many parents, carers and professionals over the past 20 years say it is difficult to know what a gold standard assessment is and what the necessary knowledge, skills and training of clinicians conducting ADHD assessments should be. We appreciate how daunting embarking on such assessment can be. We are skilled and compassionate, we are here to help; let us help guide the way.

We offer a professional team approach. Our comprehensive and individualised assessments for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) are high quality, multidisciplinary and National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) compliant.

We are only able to assess children aged 6-17 who are able to successfully engage in a robust assessment process. For example, children will need to be able to have conversations about their experiences; reflect on their needs and difficulties; be able to think about past, present and future issues.

You can be assured of and trust our high-quality thorough assessments offered by a trained, highly skilled and very experienced clinical psychologist who has worked extensively for the NHS (in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services), in the independent and charitable sectors as well as in and with Education. 

Our compassionate and comprehensive assessments include:

• Pre assessment via widely used, reliable and valid self-report questionnaires for parents/carers and schools. This helps us decide if a specialist assessment for AD/HD is needed. We may use other trusted self-report measures to gain a wider picture of your child’s life experiences and difficulties. 

• A thorough face to face structured clinical diagnostic assessment with parents/carers to assess core symptoms of and diagnose ADHD in children (5-16 years). A skilled clinical psychologist will complement such with a comprehensive assessment of your child’s development, relationships, life and environmental experiences as well as their social, emotional and behavioural needs. 

• Observations to complement clinical assessments: face to face meetings with your child to get to know them and their needs (at school and in a clinical setting). They will be set tasks/activities of concentration.

• Liaison with school and relevant other allied professionals including a review of any relevant professional reports. Our clinical psychologist and school teachers/special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCO) will work in partnership to best serve you and your child’s needs.

• Specialist ‘gold-standard’ computerised diagnostic testing using a NICE verified test to assess inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

This enables us to gain a thorough understanding of your and your child’s needs to best inform whether there is a diagnosis that best explains your child’s needs in order to best inform treatment recommendations. 

Professional team approach

We meet as a team to thoroughly discuss assessment information, conclusions, diagnoses and recommendations. 

Collaborative assessment feedback and treatment planning

We will aim to meet with parents/carers two weeks after the assessment to discuss in detail our findings, psychological explanations and any diagnoses that we believe help make sense of your child’s needs. We will use this time to provide helpful psychoeducation, psychological and educational recommendations. This appointment is for parents without your child. 

In addition, with your consent our SENCO will liaise with your child’s school on one occasion following our assessment and provide recommendations as to how the school can best support your child’s needs. Ideally you would be present for this online meeting. 

You will be respected and involved throughout the assessment, diagnosis and treatment planning and post diagnostic follow-on care. Long term meaningful change is achieved by positively working in partnership with parents/carers and relevant professionals. We are better together! 

Written report

You will receive an assessment and treatment recommendation summary psychological report. This will detail a psychological understanding of your child’s needs and any diagnosis to make sense of your child’s needs. It will also include skilled reflections and recommendations made by an experienced SENCO. You will receive this within two weeks of your assessment. We are keen to make sure our reports are an accurate reflection of what you share so we will check if any amendments are needed. You will not be able to change our professional opinion or the diagnostic outcome.  Cost: £1455.25

ADHD is a neurobiological condition under the umbrella of Neurodiversity. As skilled clinicians we may identify other diagnoses and/or signpost you to other services best placed to meet your needs.

Diagnosis(es) are informed by on our clinical/professional opinion based on the information we have been able to gain, at the time we learn it, as we understand it.

We cannot guarantee every NHS trust and local authority will be willing to accept the findings of our assessment and treatment recommendations. Many want to do their own. We can, however, assure you that we will do all we can to liaise with appropriate professionals to safely handover any needed care. You can share our reports with relevant professionals.

There is no diagnosis that will definitely guarantee an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCPs), these are about need and access to specialist funding/support. We do, however, have a dedicated, skilled, and experienced SENCO that can offer guidance regarding the systems, processes and people who are often involved in EHCPs. We have successfully supported many parents with this process.

We can serve some parts of Lancashire and Greater Manchester. We will discuss any travel fees upfront if your area is further afield than an area we routinely serve.

Follow on care - post assessment and/or diagnostic support 

We can continue to offer clinically proven psychological therapies, educational and parent support. For example:

• Psycho education and resources.

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy alongside family/school support to help with management of challenges, capitalise on strengths and thrive.

• Titration Aligned Psychological Framework sessions (TAP).

• Clinically proven psychological treatments for additional psychological needs. 

Additional fees for post diagnostic support - £135 per 50 minutes sessions for psychological support and £65 for 50 minutes educational support. 

We will signpost you to an external/independent Psychiatrist if you wish to discuss how medication might assist your child’s needs. We do not offer this support within our company.