For more information see:
New Zealand Clinical Principles Framework for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (health.govt.nz)
ADHD prescribing and diagnosing changes (adhd.org.nz)
Using insurance
Some insurers are challenged in identifying the distinction between mental health and non-neurotypical conditions. So they take the stance of excluding the whole lot. Other insurers have recognised the challenges in the mental health support community and have relaxed their requirements.
Choosing a specialist
You may be seeing this person regularly so make sure, once you’ve met them, that you’re comfortable sharing personal information with them. Depending on how regularly you are seeing them, travel may also be a consideration.
Questions you may want to ask them to include:
How long have you been working with people with ADHD?
Have you received any training in the diagnosis or treatment of ADHD?
What is involved in the assessment—written tests/interviews?
What sort of treatment plan do you use — behaviour modification, medication, alternative therapies?
What are the costs involved?
Do you accept my insurance?
Preparing for the specialist
There is often a wait to see a health care professional who specialises in ADHD so, if you can, try to book an appointment ahead of when you might need it (i.e. before school/uni term, beginning a new job etc.)
They'll likely send you some forms and questionnaires to complete and send to them before the meeting and will review these before your first meeting with them.
The assessment
A proper ADHD assessment should do two things:
determine whether a person has ADHD and rule out other potential reasons for the symptoms, and
identify any other potential challenges such as anxiety, depression, dyslexia, autism, auditory processing disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder.
Your first session is likely to take 60 to 90 minutes, and a typical assessment for adult ADHD may take up to three hours.
Common assessments include:
ADHD rating questionnaires (called psychometrics)
cognitive assessments (assessing cognitive strengths, weaknesses and IQ)
mental health broad screener questionnaires (psychometrics to help narrow down the areas the assessment will need to focus on and/orneuropsychological assessment of the attention system or executive functioning.
What you might be asked
You may be asked to elaborate on aspects of your questionaire results such as:
how often do you quit a task before you're done?
how often do you misplace things?
how often do you forget appointments or other important matters?
do you have trouble sitting still?
do you struggle to relax?
how often are you distracted by things around you?
development, health, family, and lifestyle history
strengths, weaknesses and some of the challenges you’ve been facing.
Your medical history is also an important part of the evaluation. If you haven't had a medical exam recently, one might be recommended to rule out medical causes for your symptoms. They will also assess whether any co-existing conditions are present, because if co-exisiting conditions aren't treated then treatment for ADHD may not be as effective.
What to take with you
Your fully completed questionnaires (send in before appointment so they can be reviewed and scored)
Completed questionnaires from others. In the case of children, your specialist may want to talk to a teacher, coach, or day care provider. For adults they may want to talk to a partner or family member.
Memory for a detailed developmental, social and family history (taking your/your child’s Well Child/Plunket book and school reports is helpful), and or
any supporting evidence (such as medical, psychological, school/employment records, or if you're an adult, a copy of the results from our self-screening tool) to the appointment.
What happens next?
ADHD is catagorised according to a set of criteria that all appropriately trained clinicians use. The diagnostic system used in New Zealand is called the DSM-V, which we share with most of the English speaking world (except Europe).
Once your specialist is satisfied that their review is conclusive, they’ll share their thoughts with you. This may, or may not, result in you receiving a diagnosis for ADHD.
If you get a diagnosis that confirms you have ADHD, this can be an enormous relief as it often helps you to understand there is a reason for many of your current and past difficulties.
They’ll share their thoughts with you around the diagnosis and a treatment plan to suit.
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