for children and adolescents in London
Our private clinic supports children and adolescents through the ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) assessment pathway, combining the rigour of a multidisciplinary team with the warmth of a family-centred approach.
For more than 20 years, we have cared for patients from across London and internationally.
The ADHD assessment at Kensington International Clinic is built on an in-depth evaluation, conducted jointly by a neurodevelopmental paediatrician and our clinical psychologists. Our objective: to deliver a reliable diagnosis, identify any co-occurring conditions and build a realistic, sustainable support plan alongside the child and their family.
ADHD in children and adolescents: what is it exactly?
ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a neurodevelopmental condition of neurobiological origin. It affects approximately 5% of school-aged children worldwide. It is neither a parenting failure, nor a tantrum, nor a simple lack of willpower; it is a distinct mode of brain functioning, today well characterised by scientific research.
ADHD usually appears during childhood, most often before the age of 12, even though the diagnosis is sometimes made later, in adolescence or adulthood, when difficulties become more visible as academic and social demands increase. Contrary to a widespread belief, ADHD does not disappear at puberty; it evolves, it changes shape, but it persists in a more subtle form.
Left undiagnosed, ADHD in children and adolescents can have a significant impact on schooling, social relationships, self-esteem and mental health, with an increased risk of anxiety, depression or risk-taking behaviour. Arriving at an accurate, early diagnosis allows the child and their family to understand what is happening, to access tailored support, and often to meaningfully reshape the child’s academic and personal trajectory.
How to recognise the signs of ADHD
ADHD is expressed through three main symptom dimensions, whose expression varies considerably depending on the child’s age, sex and life context:
- Inattention: difficulty sustaining focus on a task, frequent forgetfulness, marked distractibility, careless mistakes in class, a tendency not to finish what has been started and often chronic disorganisation (messy school bag, lost homework, instructions not followed);
- Hyperactivity: persistent motor restlessness. The child is constantly on the move, gets up in class, struggles to stay seated during meals, talks non-stop. In adolescents, motor hyperactivity may ease and give way to a more internal restlessness, a permanent sense of being under tension;
- Impulsivity: answers given before questions are finished, difficulty waiting their turn, frequent interruptions and, at times, disproportionate risk-taking in adolescence (impulsive social, academic or emotional choices).
A key point to keep in mind: a lively, daydreaming or boisterous child is not automatically a child with ADHD. The diagnosis rests on the persistence of symptoms (for at least six months), their presence in at least two settings (school and home, for instance), and their significant impact on daily life.
DHD in teenage girls: a late and underestimated diagnosis
ADHD in girls and teenage girls is one of the major blind spots of paediatric diagnosis. At equivalent clinical presentation, a girl is statistically far less likely to be diagnosed than a boy, and when she is, it typically happens several years later.
Why this delay? Because ADHD in girls often expresses itself differently from the stereotypical results ; teenage girls more frequently present with a predominantly inattentive form, without visible motor hyperactivity. They compensate through considerable cognitive effort, which goes unnoticed by those around them for a long time. They appear dreamy, distracted, disorganised, but rarely disruptive in class. Many develop masking strategies, with heavy consequences: chronic anxiety, fragile self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, academic burnout.
A timely diagnosis can profoundly change a young girl’s mental health trajectory, allowing her to understand how she functions and to benefit from appropriate support.
How does a child ADHD assessment at Kensington International Clinic work? ?
The ADHD assessment unfolds across several stages, ideally spread over 2 to 3 appointments, to allow a robust evaluation without rushing.
The first appointment
is an in-depth consultation with the paediatrician and/or the lead psychologist. It brings together the child and at least one parent. It is above all a time for listening: a detailed gathering of medical history, academic journey, psychomotor development, and difficulties reported at home and at school. Parents are invited to bring along any relevant documents, such as school reports, previous speech therapy or psychological assessments, and medical correspondence.
Standardised scales
are then provided to the family and to the school (Conners, SDQ, DSM-5 scales adapted to age). These questionnaires, completed by parents and teachers, help document the presence and intensity of symptoms across several settings, an essential diagnostic criterion.
An in-depth neuropsychological assessment
is then conducted by the clinical psychologist. It evaluates sustained attention, divided attention, working memory, executive functions and inhibitory control, using standardised and internationally validated tests. This assessment typically lasts 2 to 3 hours, spread across one or two sessions depending on the child's age and fatigue tolerance.
The diagnostic synthesis
is delivered in a dedicated appointment. The lead specialist shares their conclusions with the parents and, depending on age, with the child themselves. A detailed written report is given to the family, usable in school procedures and with other healthcare professionals.
Meet our
multidisciplinary specialists
Assessing ADHD in a child is a complex process that requires the convergence of several clinical perspectives. At Kensington International Clinic, three practitioners work closely together on paediatric assessments:
Dr Joe Datt
is a Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician.
As the medical lead of the ADHD team, he brings the paediatric expertise essential to the comprehensive evaluation of the child: medical history, psychomotor development, differential diagnosis, coordination with school and family.
His training in neurodevelopment allows ADHD to be approached within the wider frame of neurodevelopmental conditions.
Aboubakar Wane
is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in ADHD assessment.
He conducts in-depth neuropsychological evaluations and standardised attention testing.
His work objectively documents attentional difficulties, identifies co-occurring conditions and precisely maps the child’s cognitive profile.
Laurène Lahierre
is a Clinical Psychologist.
Bilingual in French and English, she contributes to the psychological evaluation and leads post-diagnosis therapeutic follow-up.
Her approach, centred on the child and their family environment, supports long-term engagement in the care pathway.
Good to know: consultations can take place in French and in English, a valuable asset for French-speaking families based in London as well as for international patients.
Consultations at Kensington International Clinic are available in French and English. To arrange an ADHD assessment for your child or adolescent, please contact our team:
- Phone: 020 7589 9321;
- Email: contact@lamaisonmedicale.co.uk;
- Online: via our online appointment booking system.
FAQ
What conditions frequently co-occur with ADHD?
- Anxiety disorders: generalised anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety;
- Specific learning disorders: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia;
- Sleep disorders: difficulty falling asleep, fragmented sleep;
- Autism spectrum conditions: some clinical profiles combine ADHD and ASC, with specific therapeutic implications;
- Mood disorders: prolonged sadness, marked irritability, particularly in adolescence;
- Oppositional defiant disorder in younger children;
- Eating disorders in adolescence.
ADHD frequently co-exists with other conditions, which sometimes complicates the diagnosis and fully justifies a multidisciplinary evaluation. Our team pays particular attention to the most common co-occurring conditions.
At what age can ADHD be diagnosed in a child?
From the age of 6, when symptoms become reliably assessable within a structured school environment.
In some cases, a suspicion can be documented earlier, from 4 or 5 years of age, but British experts recommend caution before the age of 6, as many behaviours interpreted as ADHD at that age in fact correspond to normal variations in development.
Is ADHD hereditary?
ADHD has a strong genetic component.
According to studies published to date, heritability is estimated at around 70 to 80%, one of the highest in child psychopathology. In concrete terms, a child whose parent, brother or sister presents with ADHD has a statistically higher risk of presenting with it too. That said, this is no guarantee, and the expression of the condition also depends on environmental factors.
