Frequently asked questions
Answers to the questions clinicians ask before booking ADHD Diagnostic Assessor Training.
Can’t see your question? Email contact@adhdtrainer.co.uk.
About the course
Who is the course for?
Registered healthcare professionals who assess ADHD, or want to, including doctors, nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, allied health professionals and other appropriately qualified clinicians.
Does it cover children and adults?
Yes. Many assessment principles apply across the lifespan, while others change with age, developmental stage and clinical setting. The course covers both.
Is it suitable for beginners?
Yes. It’s designed for registered clinicians who are new to formal ADHD assessment. Experienced assessors also find it useful for complex differentials and report writing.
Does it cover medication?
No. The course is about diagnostic assessment, formulation and reporting. It covers how to write care recommendations in line with NICE NG87, but not titration, prescribing or medication management.
Is there coursework afterwards?
No. You complete the course by attending the live day and taking part in the discussions and case studies. Your certificate is issued after the course.
Is clinical shadowing included?
No, shadowing isn’t currently part of the course.
Diagnosing and scope of practice
Will the course let me diagnose ADHD on my own?
Not by itself. It gives you the frameworks, tools and templates to assess ADHD well. Whether you can diagnose independently depends on your professional registration, experience, scope of practice, supervision and your organisation’s governance.
I’ve never done an ADHD assessment. Will I be authorised to assess afterwards?
That depends on your scope of practice and registration, your professional indemnity cover and your service’s governance. Many services ask new assessors to start with a period of supervised or joint assessments.
What do I need to check before I start assessing?
Check that ADHD assessment is within your scope of practice and that your indemnity provider covers diagnostic assessments in your setting. Make sure supervision is in place too. Our clinician hub explains the AQAS and CAAQAS frameworks in more detail.
Tools and resources
Which assessment tools are covered?
DIVA-5, Young DIVA, Conners 4, QbCheck and QbTest, along with how to use multi-informant and collateral information such as school reports and parent or carer accounts.
Can I use DIVA-5 and Young DIVA after the course?
The course teaches you how to administer and interpret them and how to map findings to DSM-5 and ICD-11 criteria. The DIVA-5 and Young DIVA forms are copyrighted by the DIVA Foundation, so services buy them from divacenter.eu. Using them in practice is subject to your scope of practice, governance and indemnity.
What will I get after the course?
Reference templates, clinical report frameworks and guidance materials. We don’t supply proprietary or copyrighted assessment tools.
Careers and jobs
Is it a qualification?
It’s a CPD-certified professional development course rather than an academic qualification. You’ll receive an ADHD Diagnostic Assessor CPD certificate for 6 accredited hours.
Will it help me apply for ADHD assessor jobs?
It gives you evidence of targeted CPD, experience of the tools named in most ADHD assessor job descriptions and concrete examples for applications. Roles usually also need active registration with the NMC, HCPC, GMC or GPhC. Each employer sets its own criteria.
Do you help with job placement?
No. We don’t offer recruitment services or job guarantees.
Is it right for my profession?
Psychologists
Yes. The course builds on structured evaluation and psychometric assessment. It also supports your CPD portfolio.
GPs and GPs with Extended Roles
Yes. It gives you a structured approach for primary care and PCN settings. The certificate can go into your GMC appraisal portfolio.
Mental health nurses
Yes. RMNs and specialist nurses make up a large share of attendees. The CPD hours support NMC revalidation and progression into ADHD assessor roles.
Pharmacists
Yes. Clinical and prescribing pharmacists are increasingly part of ADHD teams. The certificate supports GPhC revalidation.
Paediatricians
Yes. There’s a strong focus on developmental history, school and parent information. It also covers common childhood differentials such as autism, learning difficulties, trauma, anxiety and sleep problems.
Psychiatrists, from trainees to consultants
Yes. Trainees use it to fill a gap in structured neurodevelopmental assessment and for ARCP evidence. Consultants use it to standardise assessment across their teams.
A&E doctors and neurologists
Yes, particularly if you’re moving into outpatient ADHD work. Check that diagnostic assessment fits your scope of practice and that your indemnity covers it.
Occupational therapists
Yes. Functional impact, routines, sensory processing and executive function are central to ADHD assessment. The CPD supports HCPC revalidation.
Counsellors and psychotherapists
The course can strengthen neurodivergent-informed practice. Before offering diagnostic assessments, check your professional body guidance, indemnity and supervision arrangements.
Crisis, adult mental health and CAMHS teams
Yes. Many people seen in these services have missed or misattributed ADHD. The course covers differentials such as EUPD, bipolar disorder, C-PTSD, ODD and developmental trauma.
Booking, CPD and study leave
Is the course accredited?
Yes. It’s certified as CPD by an independent accreditation body and is worth 6 accredited hours. View our CPD accreditation.
Can I take study leave or a day in lieu?
Yes. As an accredited CPD course it qualifies for NHS study leave and educational funding. Courses run on Saturdays, so many employers give a day in lieu.
How does the online course work?
It runs live on Microsoft Teams from 09:30 to 17:00. When you book you’ll get a confirmation email with your Teams link and pre-course information.
Can I attend from outside the UK?
Yes, you can join remotely from anywhere. The course is built around UK frameworks such as NICE NG87, so you’re responsible for checking how it applies where you practise.
Ready to book?
The next course is on Saturday 31 October 2026. Groups are kept small so everyone gets time to ask questions.
Questions first? Email contact@adhdtrainer.co.uk