Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - Child and Young Person
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can be a challenge for children and their families. ADHD can be diagnosed in children from the age of 6 and older and the signs and symptoms are usually noticeable before the age of 12. Undiagnosed and untreated ADHD may lead to challenges for the child at home and school. These symptoms can cause significant problems in a child’s life, such as underachievement at school, poor social interaction with other children and adults, and problems with discipline.
The signs to look for are as follows:
Inattentiveness
-
Short attention span and easily prone to distraction
-
Making careless mistakes, repeatedly – for example, in schoolwork
-
Appearing forgetful or often losing things
-
Being unable to stick to tasks that are tedious or time-consuming
-
Appearing to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions
-
Constantly changing activities or tasks
-
Having difficulty organizing tasks
Hyperactivity and impulsiveness
-
Being unable to sit still, especially in calm or quiet surroundings
-
Constant fidgeting
-
Being unable to concentrate on tasks
-
Excessive physical movement
-
Excessive talking
-
Being unable to wait their turn
-
Acting without thinking
-
Interrupting conversations
-
Little or no sense of danger
ADHD assessments at Jacobs Clinic for children and young people are conducted according to NICE guidelines. It involves 4 main steps:
Step 1
Completion of our online patient registration form and consent form.
Step 2
Both school contact and parents will be sent an online questionnaire pack which includes Conners 4 Rating Scale.
Step 3
QbTest and ECG to be completed in the clinic which is based in a child friendly GP Practice. You will be given an appointment for this after we receive your completed registration form.
Step 4
A full ADHD assessment with our specialist doctor. This will be a face to face appointment in our clinic. If ADHD diagnosis is confirmed, treatment options will also be discussed.
Assessment
A full initial ADHD assessment usually takes around 2.5 hours.
Prior to offering your appointment, we would ask for relevant information to be completed by you and your child’s school (with your permission) and depending on the child’s age, for the child to complete. These will include completing some online ADHD specific questionnaires and Conners 4 Rating Scale. This will contribute to our diagnostic assessment and will also help in the transfer of care to NHS.
Once we receive all the information, we can offer you an appointment. It involves taking a detailed developmental history from parents, speaking to the child, a QBTest and an ECG. Physical check-up such as blood pressure, heart rate, height and weight will be taken.
QbTest is an FDA-cleared test measuring all 3 core symptom domains; hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. QbTest involves a 15 or 20-minute computer-based task that measures your child’s ability to maintain attention and impulse control. Meanwhile, an infrared camera tracks movements, and therefore activity, during the test. The results are based on a comparison of your child’s performance with data from other children of the same sex and age who do not have ADHD. The test equipment consists of an infrared camera, a headband with an infrared marker attached to it, a laptop, and a responder button.
We offer a comprehensive assessment and treatment program for children with ADHD. All our initial appointments will be face to face with our specialist doctor in our clinic based in a child friendly GP Practice in Sale. Following the assessment, you will be given a full feedback on the outcome. If a diagnosis of ADHD is confirmed, further advice on how/where to access help will be explained. You will then receive a full written report with the assessment findings and recommendations.
If an ADHD diagnosis is confirmed, then treatment options that meets your child’s individual needs will be discussed and finalised in consultation with both the child and parents. Follow up review appointments will be arranged on a 4 weekly basis until they are titrated to an effective dose on medication. There will be an additional charge for the medication at the pharmacy. It is highly likely that treatment will reduce impairment and improve quality of life.
Shared Care with GP
We recommend patients speak to their GP before their first assessment and check if they will accept shared care arrangements with us. We will contact your GP, with your consent, asking for your child’s medical records prior to their first appointment with us. We will share your child’s diagnosis and treatment plan with your GP soon after the first assessment and will initiate a conversation about shared care at that time.
When your child is stable on medication, we will request to move you to shared care with your GP for your prescriptions which, if accepted, will then be at the NHS standard prescription charges.
We will also have an understanding with you and your GP that if there are any concerns whist you are under shared care, we will be involved in your care and will be available for you or your GP. You will need to have review appointments every 6 months with us to continue the shared care protocol with your GP unless you have been transferred to your local NHS ADHD service. This is because GP’s cannot prescribe ADHD medication unless your child is under a Specialist. Once stabilised review appointments with us will be every 6 months and will be charged £250. We will support you all the way.
In the unusual circumstance that your GP does not accept shared care, repeat private (pink) prescriptions can be continued by the clinic for a fee of £30 per month plus the cost of the medication at the pharmacy.
Treatments costs
Initial assessment with QbTest and first prescription - £1200
Titration review appointments with prescription - £250
6-monthly routine review appointments - £250
Our doctors for Child & Young Persons ADHD
Jacobs Clinic
Firsway Health Centre
121 Firs Way
Sale, Cheshire
M33 4BR
0161 6478039
contact@jacobsclinic.co.uk
We work closely with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to ensure we are providing a high standard of care to meet your medical and wellbeing needs. The CQC team are always interested in receiving any feedback about the clinic. Please leave feedback by clicking on the link below and following the instructions: