Frequently asked questions

An ADHD assessment involves a structured clinical interview with a qualified clinician. We explore your medical, developmental and personal history through validated questionnaires and seek feedback from family and/or school. The process assesses attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and related traits. You'll receive a detailed, NICE-compliant diagnostic report. If you wish to explore medication, a qualified psychiatrist approves it.

An autism assessment involves meeting a qualified clinician to explore your developmental history, strengths and challenges. We use evidence-based tools, structured interviews and, where appropriate, input from family, school or work. The process looks at communication style, sensory differences, social interaction and thinking patterns. You'll receive a detailed, NICE-compliant report with a clear outcome and personalised recommendations for support.

Yes. All our clinicians are registered with the relevant professional bodies: CORU (Ireland's multi-profession health regulator), PSI (Psychological Society of Ireland), IMC (Irish Medical Council) or HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council for Northern Ireland and the UK). Our clinicians are experienced in co-occurring presentations such as AuDHD (autism and ADHD together), anxiety and depression. They are also highly experienced in trauma and mental health.

Yes. Our ADHD and autism diagnostic reports are completed by fully qualified clinicians and comply with NICE guidelines. They meet the standards required for recognition by the HSE in Ireland and the NHS in Northern Ireland and the wider UK, and can be used to access public healthcare services, workplace or educational accommodations and onward referrals.

No GP referral required. All of our diagnostic assessments are available to you directly, as we are a private mental health clinic. This makes the process faster for you to obtain a full assessment and diagnostic report.

Immediate appointments are available, and you'll receive your personalised, detailed diagnostic report within 6 weeks of your first appointment.

Three things. Complete the questionnaire linked in your confirmation email. Make sure a family member, partner or close friend has completed their questionnaire (for a child, this is a parent or carer and their school). Gather any examples or records that support what you've experienced.

A lot of people feel anxious before their appointment, and that's normal. Come as you are. Our clinicians will help you feel at ease. Your assessment is likely to be an online video call, so a quiet room at home with some privacy works best. Most of our team are neurodivergent themselves, ADHD, autistic or both (AuDHD), and understand the challenges first-hand. Many people find it helps to treat the assessment as a discovery process: a deeper understanding of how your brain works and how it interacts with the world around you.

You remain the owner of your data. We act as its custodian. All information is protected with bank-level encryption, strict access controls and secure storage that meets or exceeds GDPR requirements. Access is limited to authorised personnel and staff are trained in privacy best practice. We have tested backup, disaster-recovery and breach-notification procedures. You can request, correct or delete your information at any time.

No assessment can promise a diagnosis. Some people's difficulties turn out to have another explanation, such as stress, anxiety, sleep problems or the demands of their current life, and a good assessment identifies that. What we commit to is a thorough, neuroaffirming evaluation against DSM-5-TR, ICD-11 and NICE guidelines. You get a clear written report whatever the outcome, so you leave with answers either way.

An assessment identifies the root cause of what you have been experiencing and gives you an accurate answer, whether that is ADHD or something else. With a diagnosis you get a personalised management plan, a report you can use for workplace or educational accommodations, and a route to medication if you choose to explore it. Most people tell us the biggest benefit is understanding themselves: focus, relationships and self-esteem all make more sense once you know how your mind actually works. Every assessment also includes your EchoMind AI profile, which maps your strengths and challenges in practical terms.

Yes, and it is common, especially in adults. Symptoms are often mistaken for stress, anxiety or personality, and many people build coping systems that hide the difficulty without removing its cost. Women, non-binary and trans people are missed most often, because their presentation tends to be more internal and more masked than the classic picture. Many of our clients are diagnosed in their 30s, 40s or later.

By looking at your history, not just your present. ADHD is neurodevelopmental, so a clinician looks for signs that reach back to childhood and show up across different settings: home, school, work and relationships. Difficulties that appear only recently, or only in one part of life, point somewhere else. We use structured clinical interviews and validated instruments to make that distinction carefully.

Social media does not cause ADHD. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental difference, not a habit. Heavy use can worsen anyone's attention and can look like ADHD from the outside, which is one reason a careful assessment matters. Research shows an association between heavy use and attention difficulties, not proof that one causes the other.