How to Get an ADHD Diagnosis for a Child in the UK

You've read the symptom lists. You've filmed the homework meltdowns and the total inability to sit still for longer than three minutes. Your GP agrees it's worth investigating. And then you're handed a CAMHS referral and told to expect a wait of — casually, as if this is normal — two to three years.

In some parts of the UK, CAMHS waiting lists for ADHD assessment now stretch beyond four years. Here is what you can do while you wait, how to challenge the wait, and how to access educational support for your child even before any clinical diagnosis is issued.

The Standard NHS Pathway

An ADHD diagnosis in a child is a clinical decision made by a qualified professional — usually a paediatrician, child psychiatrist, or a specialist ADHD team. The pathway typically runs as follows:

Step 1: GP referral. Your GP refers your child to either CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) or a community paediatric service, depending on what's available locally and whether co-existing mental health conditions are present.

Step 2: Waiting list. The referral enters a waiting list. This is where the system breaks down. CAMHS waiting times are a national crisis. The King's Fund and multiple parliamentary inquiries have documented waiting lists averaging 18 months nationally, with significant regional variation.

Step 3: Initial assessment. A clinician takes a comprehensive developmental history, reviews standardised rating scales (typically the Conners or the SNAP-IV, completed by both parents and teachers), and makes observations. For younger children, a play-based observation session may be included.

Step 4: Diagnosis or onward referral. If ADHD is identified, the clinician issues a formal diagnosis and typically initiates a discussion about treatment options (behavioural strategies, medication, or both). If other conditions are suspected, the child may be referred to a specialist service.

The NHS Right to Choose

In England, parents of children on a CAMHS waiting list have a legal entitlement under NHS constitutional rights to request that their child is assessed by a different provider. This is often called the 'Right to Choose' (RTC).

Under Right to Choose, you can ask to be referred to an alternative ADHD assessment provider commissioned by the NHS. Several private organisations have NHS contracts to conduct ADHD assessments — meaning the assessment is conducted more quickly but funded by the NHS at no cost to you. The process involves going back to your GP and requesting that the existing CAMHS referral is converted to a Right to Choose referral for an approved provider.

This pathway is available in England only. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland do not have an equivalent Right to Choose mechanism for CAMHS services, though Scotland's Anyone Can Ask initiative allows professionals other than GPs to refer to CAMHS.

Private ADHD Assessment

If you want to bypass NHS waiting lists entirely, private ADHD assessment is available. Costs vary significantly:

• Private paediatric psychiatrist or clinical psychologist assessment: typically £600–£1,200 depending on the provider and comprehensiveness
• Some private providers offer ADHD-specific assessment packages for children at lower price points, though parental homework (rating scales, detailed history) is extensive

If you commission a private diagnosis, you can then request that your GP issues a shared care agreement for medication if that is appropriate — though some GP surgeries resist this, and you may need to push.

A private ADHD diagnosis carries equal legal weight to an NHS diagnosis when used as evidence in a statutory SEND assessment.

Educational Support Before Diagnosis

Here is the most important thing parents of children with suspected ADHD need to understand: a school or local authority cannot refuse to assess and support a child solely because they lack a clinical diagnosis.

The SEND Code of Practice 2015 is explicit: SEN is defined by the educational impact of a child's needs, not by the presence of a medical label. A child who has persistent and significant difficulties with attention, impulse control, and task completion — regardless of whether those difficulties are formally labelled ADHD — has special educational needs that the school must address.

You can request an EHC Needs Assessment from your local authority citing the observable educational impact of your child's needs, attaching the GP referral letter and any school documentation, and demanding that the assessment proceeds without waiting for CAMHS. In 2024, 154,489 requests for EHC Needs Assessments were made in England — an 11.8% increase year on year — and a very significant proportion of those were for children without formal diagnoses.

Accessing educational support while waiting for an ADHD clinical assessment is both legal and often necessary. The UK Assessment & Evaluation Guide explains how to request a statutory assessment independently of the clinical pathway and includes template letters for both the LA and the school that frame the educational impact of your child's needs without requiring a diagnosis.

What to Say to the School Right Now

While you are waiting for any clinical assessment, go to the school in writing. State:

• Your child is experiencing significant difficulties with attention and impulse control that are affecting their learning
• You are in the process of seeking clinical assessment and have a GP referral in place
• You are requesting that the school implements specific interventions under SEN Support in the meantime
• You expect these interventions to be documented in a written SEN Support Plan or Individual Support Plan with measurable targets and review dates

Ask specifically what the school is doing. A vague response that they are "keeping an eye on things" is not SEN Support. SEN Support requires an Assess-Plan-Do-Review cycle, written targets, and evidence-based interventions.

If the school is unhelpful, your next step is a formal request to the local authority for a statutory EHC Needs Assessment.

Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland

In Wales, the ALN identification process does not require a clinical diagnosis. If your child's ADHD traits are causing learning difficulties that call for Additional Learning Provision, the school's ALNCo has a duty to identify this and produce an IDP.

In Scotland, ADHD traits affecting learning would typically be identified as Additional Support Needs. The school should have a support plan in place and, if the difficulties are severe and multi-agency involvement is required, can progress toward a Co-ordinated Support Plan.

In Northern Ireland, the Education Authority's assessment pathway operates independently of CAMHS. A statutory assessment can be requested at any time, and the EA must gather evidence including from school staff and parents regardless of clinical diagnosis status.

Documenting ADHD Traits While You Wait

Keep a detailed home log: specific incidents, their frequency, their educational impact. Note homework refusals, meltdowns, difficulty following multi-step instructions, inability to complete tasks, forgetfulness, and peer relationship difficulties. Ask teachers to document their observations in writing regularly. This documentation becomes the evidence base for your EHC Needs Assessment request and, if necessary, for any tribunal you need to pursue.

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