Private ADHD assessments for children and adults in Telford If you are looking for a private ADHD assessment in Telford, Cross Psychology provides comprehensive ADHD assessments for children, young people and adults. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that can affect attention regulation, impulsivity and executive functioning. Executive functioning includes the mental skills involved in planning, organising, remembering information, managing time, regulating emotions, starting tasks and shifting attention between activities. For children, ADHD characteristics may become noticeable through difficulty maintaining concentration at school, losing belongings, forgetting instructions, impulsive behaviour, restlessness or strong emotional reactions. However, ADHD does not always involve obvious hyperactivity. Some children may appear quiet, distracted or prone to daydreaming while finding it difficult to organise themselves or maintain attention. Adults may recognise longstanding difficulties with deadlines, organisation, time management, concentration, unfinished tasks, relationships or balancing several responsibilities at once. A comprehensive ADHD assessment considers how these characteristics have developed from childhood and how they affect life across different settings. Depending on the individual, assessment may include developmental history, clinical interviews, recognised ADHD assessment tools and information from parents, partners, schools or other relevant sources. The information is considered together rather than relying on a single questionnaire or test, helping us build a fuller picture and, where appropriate, reach a diagnosis and provide useful recommendations. Private autism assessments in Telford Cross Psychology also provides private autism assessments for children, young people and adults in Telford and the wider Shropshire area. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with differences in areas including social communication, sensory processing, routines, focused interests and the way an individual experiences the world around them. There is no single presentation of autism. A child may find friendships or social interaction difficult to navigate, prefer familiar routines or experience noise, lights, textures, smells or busy environments more intensely than other people. Some adults reach assessment after decades of feeling different without having a clear explanation. They may have developed ways of masking or compensating for autistic characteristics by consciously adapting their communication or behaviour to meet social expectations. This can sometimes mean that the effort involved in work, relationships or everyday interaction remains hidden from the people around them. Our autism assessments consider developmental history alongside current experiences and information from different sources where appropriate. Recognised assessment tools such as ADOS-2, ADI-R and 3Di may form part of the wider process. These tools contribute to clinical understanding rather than determining a diagnosis on their own. The aim is to understand the complete individual, including strengths and support needs, rather than judge someone on how they behave during one appointment. Combined ADHD and autism assessments ADHD and autism can occur together, and some characteristics associated with the two conditions can overlap. An individual may experience a combination of attention difficulties, executive functioning differences, sensory sensitivities, emotional regulation challenges, social communication differences and a preference for predictability. Where initial screening identifies characteristics of both ADHD and autism, Cross Psychology can provide a combined ADHD and autism assessment for children and adults. Considering both conditions together can be particularly helpful where previous explanations have not fully accounted for someone's experiences. Rather than trying to fit every difficulty into a single diagnosis, the assessment considers how different parts of the person's neurodevelopmental profile interact. This can provide greater clarity and help ensure recommendations reflect the individual's overall strengths and support needs. Cognitive assessments for dyslexia and dyscalculia Cross Psychology also provides cognitive assessments for learning differences including dyslexia and dyscalculia. A cognitive assessment explores how someone understands, processes, remembers and works with information. Dyslexia commonly affects areas such as reading, spelling and written language, while dyscalculia is associated with persistent difficulties understanding numbers and mathematical concepts. For children and young people, cognitive assessment can help explain why certain aspects of school are proving difficult even where they have clear strengths in other areas. Adults may seek assessment after experiencing similar difficulties throughout education, university or employment without previously understanding the reason. ADHD, autism and specific learning differences can also occur alongside one another, which is why looking at the wider neurodevelopmental and cognitive profile can be particularly useful. ADHD and autism assessments for children and young people Parents often begin considering assessment because they have noticed a pattern rather than one particular difficulty. Your child may struggle with concentration, schoolwork, friendships, communication, emotional regulation, sensory experiences or changes to routine. Sometimes children manage well in one environment but find another much harder. A child who appears to cope at school, for example, may become exhausted or overwhelmed once they return home. Assessment allows us to explore those differences and consider how your child functions across different settings. Where appropriate, information from parents, schools and other professionals can contribute to this wider understanding. The purpose is not simply to identify difficulties. It is also to recognise strengths and help families understand what support may make everyday life easier. Adult ADHD and autism assessments in Telford Adults seek ADHD and autism assessments for many different reasons. You may have spent years struggling with organisation, concentration, social interaction, sensory environments or emotional regulation without knowing why. You may have developed sophisticated systems that help you cope, or become skilled at masking difficulties so that the effort involved is not obvious to other people. For some adults, the possibility of ADHD or autism emerges after their child is assessed. Others begin recognising lifelong patterns after learning more about neurodivergence. An adult assessment looks at your present experiences alongside your developmental and childhood history. For many people, the value lies in finally having a framework that helps explain patterns that have been present for much of their life. Assessment is about understanding rather than changing who you are. What happens during an ADHD or autism assessment? The exact process depends on whether you are exploring ADHD, autism, both conditions or a cognitive difference. Your assessment may include: Initial screening questionnaires Discussion of current strengths and difficulties Developmental and childhood history Clinical interviews Recognised diagnostic assessment tools Information from parents, partners, schools or other relevant people where appropriate Multidisciplinary clinical review Feedback and a detailed written report There is no exam to pass and no need to prepare perfect answers. Children do not need to be coached to behave in a particular way, and adults do not need to work out what they think they are "supposed" to say. We want to understand real experiences. Our team explains each stage clearly, giving you time to ask questions and helping make the assessment process feel as predictable and manageable as possible. Supporting children and adults in Telford and across Shropshire Telford is the largest settlement within the Borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire and grew by bringing together several established towns and communities, including Wellington, Dawley, Madeley and Oakengates. Newport is another major settlement within the wider borough. Cross Psychology supports children, adults and families from across Telford itself, including areas such as Wellington, Dawley, Madeley, Oakengates, Priorslee, Donnington and Ironbridge, as well as people travelling from Newport, Shifnal and surrounding parts of Shropshire. This mix of established towns, newer residential communities and surrounding villages gives Telford a wide local catchment. The wider Telford and Wrekin area also includes numerous distinct communities across both urban and more rural parts of Shropshire. For families in this part of Shropshire, having access to specialist ADHD, autism and cognitive assessment closer to home can reduce the need for longer journeys towards Birmingham or other major centres. That can be particularly helpful for neurodivergent children and adults who find unfamiliar journeys, crowded environments or unexpected changes to routine difficult or exhausting. Our aim is to provide people in Telford, Telford and Wrekin and surrounding areas of Shropshire with thoughtful, specialist neurodevelopmental assessment in an environment where they feel listened to, understood and involved throughout the process.