The
Effra Clinic

Neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism are clinical diagnoses. This means that there is no one test or tool that can determine the presence of these conditions. Diagnosis is made by gathering as much information as possible about your background as well as observing current behaviour and comparing this information gathered to the diagnostic criteria set out in DSM -5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition) and ICD-11 (International Classification of Disease, 11th edition) and making a clinical judgement informed by the experience and the expertise of the clinician as to whether diagnostic threshold is met. A thorough assessment will also take into account your physical and mental health and consider what else may be contributing to day to day differences or difficulties. 

 

We use a variety of assessment tools to aid assessment. While standardised and structured assessments can provide valuable information and support clinical decision making it is important to note that they should not be used as an alternative to thorough clinician interview and their results need to be interpreted by an experienced professional.