Organic Content Specialist•February 11, 2026•26 min read
Fact checked by Dr. Ben Condon
ADHD Assessment Template
This ADHD assessment template is suitable for clinicians of all backgrounds to evaluate symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in patients. It begins with a mental state examination (MSE) before covering patient history, ADHD symptoms, and symptom severity and impact. Powered by Heidi’s ambient AI, this template significantly reduces the time and cognitive load involved in completing an ADHD assessment form.
Adaptable for use in child and adult ADHD assessments
MSE and patient background prompts ensure a complete, holistic evaluation
Additional context (such as specialist reports and self-assessments) can be uploaded for automatic inclusion in the assessment
An ADHD assessment form is a templated document that guides clinicians through evaluating patients with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These forms include sections to document symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, along with their impact on the patient's functioning across different settings.
Comprehensive ADHD assessment forms also incorporate ancillary diagnostic information, such as self-assessments and reports from family members, friends, and/or teachers.
An ADHD assessment form is part of a comprehensive mental health assessment designed to explore the patient's complete medical, psychological, and social history. Undertaking and documenting such a thorough evaluation can be very time-consuming and cognitively taxing. Therefore, many clinicians use ADHD assessment templates to streamline the process.
In this article, we'll explore how a well-designed ADHD assessment form aids in information gathering and analysis, while supporting compliance with diagnostic standards and insurance guidelines. We also cover ADHD assessment form best practices, providing free example templates for adults and children. Finally, this article explains how AI-enabled templates can improve the efficiency and accuracy of ADHD assessment.
Benefits of Using an ADHD Assessment Form
ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, affecting 5 to 7.2% of children and 2.5 to 6.7% of adults worldwide. Despite its prevalence, ADHD remains chronically underdiagnosed in adults, with research suggesting that only 10 to 20% of adults with ADHD receive a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
This diagnostic gap is particularly concerning given the significant impact untreated ADHD can have on an individual's quality of life. ADHD is associated with increased risks of accidents and injury, substance use, challenges in education and employment, and comorbid mental health conditions—all of which are mitigated with suitable treatment.
A significant barrier to adults and children seeking ADHD treatment is long assessment waitlists. In countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia, waitlists for an ADHD assessment can be up to two years. ADHD assessment forms can help alleviate this challenge by making the evaluation process more efficient and accurate, via the benefits described below.
Easier Information Gathering
A comprehensive ADHD assessment requires collecting information from multiple sources, including the patient, family members, teachers (for children), other healthcare professionals, and sometimes employers or friends. Standardized ADHD assessment forms provide clear guidelines on what information to gather and from whom, along with a structured way to organize patient history and clinical notes, making information gathering easier and faster.
For example, a well-designed ADHD assessment form will prompt clinicians to collect developmental history, educational records, and workplace performance evaluations (where appropriate). It will also include validated rating scales, like the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) or the Conners' Parent Rating Scale for children, which have established reliability in identifying ADHD symptoms.
More Thorough Documentation
ADHD is a clinical diagnosis based on a pattern of symptoms rather than a single definitive test. This makes thorough documentation of the assessment process crucial for diagnostic accuracy and justifying treatment decisions.
A comprehensive ADHD assessment form ensures clinicians systematically document all relevant symptoms, their duration, age of onset, and their impact on functioning across different settings. This structured approach reduces the risk of overlooking important diagnostic criteria. It also provides a clear record of how the diagnosis was reached, which is valuable for treatment planning and the production of high-quality documentation.
By following a standardized assessment template, clinicians can demonstrate that they've conducted a thorough evaluation consistent with best practices. This approach is particularly important given the increased scrutiny around ADHD diagnosis and treatment, especially related to medication management.
A compliant ADHD assessment form provides evidence that due diligence was followed in the diagnostic process and supports accurate medical billing and coding.
Faster Documentation
Perhaps the most immediate benefit for busy clinicians using an ADHD assessment form is the time saved on clinical documentation. ADHD assessments usually take two hours or more, and without a structured template, practitioners may spend hours drafting a detailed mental state examination, diagnostic report, and referral letter for each patient.
A good ADHD assessment form streamlines this process, allowing documentation to be primarily completed during the patient encounter and information gathering process, rather than being an additional task the clinician must complete at the end.
Efficiency gains from ADHD assessment forms are even more pronounced when using digital templates or AI-assisted documentation tools, which can automate significant portions of the report generation process. Time saved on documentation can be redirected to patient care or reducing waitlists for assessment services.
ADHD Assessment Form Best Practices
The best approaches to ADHD assessment balance between individualization and thoroughness with structure and efficiency. Such an approach ensures that patients receive individually tailored evaluation and support, without unnecessarily convoluted assessment processes that can blow out the timeframes and cost of evaluation.
Below are some ADHD assessment form best practices, encompassing general tips, special considerations for ADHD assessment for adults, and recent advances in AI.
General ADHD Assessment Tips
Here are some general ADHD assessment tips based on contemporary clinical guidelines:
Use multiple informants - Gather information from parents, teachers, partners, or other observers (in addition to the patient's self-report).
Evaluate symptoms across settings - ADHD symptoms should be present in multiple environments (home, school, work, social settings) to meet diagnostic criteria.
Consider developmental stage - Adjust your assessment approach based on whether you're evaluating a child, adolescent, or adult.
Screen for comorbidities - As many as 80% of adults with ADHD have at least one comorbid psychiatric condition, so a thorough mental health assessment is a must.
Document functional impairment - ADHD diagnosis requires evidence that symptoms significantly interfere with functioning, not just the presence of symptoms themselves.
ADHD Assessment for Adults
Assessment and treatment protocols regarding ADHD assessment for adults are not as established as those for children. However, much work has been done in recent years to move toward a consensus on best practices and quality indicators.
Bearing in mind that this area of practice is currently evolving, below are several key recommendations for high-quality ADHD assessment for adults.
Thoroughly Assess Childhood Symptoms
Conducting a thorough retrospective assessment of childhood symptoms is vital in ADHD assessment for adults, as the DSM-5 criteria require symptom onset before age 12 to make a diagnosis. School records, report cards, and interviews with parents can provide valuable historical information. Standardized retrospective measures such as the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) may be helpful when childhood records are unavailable.
Focus On Functional Impacts
While children with ADHD often display clear hyperactivity, adults typically experience more subtle internal restlessness, difficulty with organization, poor time management, and challenges maintaining relationships or employment. Identifying these symptoms is essential, but ADHD assessment for adults should also include structured evaluation of the level of current functional impairment across all domains (education, employment, leisure, family & relationships, and daily tasks).
Explore Compensatory Strategies
Many adults with ADHD have developed impressive adaptive strategies to manage their symptoms. Success in implementing these strategies doesn't negate a diagnosis if the patient still experiences significant internal struggle, or if adaptive behaviors require disproportionate effort to maintain. Elucidation of compensatory strategies generally requires targeted questioning (and often psychoeducation) from the assessing clinician.
Seek Informant Perspectives
Reports from informants like parents and teachers comprise a large part of an ADHD assessment for a child. However, due to regulations around privacy, confidentiality, and the release of medical information, it can be tempting to skip this vital step when conducting ADHD assessments for adults. Informant perspectives (which may come from a spouse, friend, co-worker, or relative) can be vital in helping the clinician uncover functional limitations or comorbid issues that the patient may not independently recognize.
AI-Supported ADHD Assessments
Emerging technologies are transforming how ADHD assessments are conducted and documented. While diagnostic support tools using AI algorithms to analyze speech, facial information, and bodily movements show promise, the most immediate benefit for clinicians is available through AI-assisted documentation tools.
AI scribes like Heidi enhance all the benefits of a traditional ADHD assessment form. During an ADHD evaluation, the clinician can focus completely on the patient, while the AI captures and organizes the interview. After the session, the AI scribe automatically generates a structured assessment in seconds, ready for the clinician to review.
Here’s a closer look at the key benefits of AI scribes for ADHD assessment:
Improved accuracy - The scribe captures all details discussed in the assessment, including subtle statements that might otherwise be forgotten by the time the clinician writes notes.
Reduced cognitive load - Clinicians can maintain better attention during the complex ADHD assessment process and accumulate less mental fatigue from documentation.
Increased patient engagement - With less focus on note-taking, practitioners can maintain better eye contact, which is particularly valuable when assessing patients who may struggle with attention themselves.
Standardized documentation - AI ensures consistency in documentation across different providers in the same practice, improving quality control and compliance.
Divergence, a neurodevelopmental clinic in the UK specializing in ADHD assessments, uses Heidi’s AI medical scribe to reduce their documentation time from 3 to 6 hours per assessment to just 30 to 60 minutes.
“All of the staff at Divergence, bar one, are diagnosed with ADHD,” states Andrew Jay, Divergence co-founder. “Imagine gathering three hours' worth of conversational data and contextual information, then trying to weave it into a structured report. To have AI do that for us has been what has changed the game."
Andre adds, “It’s [Heidi] creating a standardised output, which for me as a manager is incredibly valuable. Being able to quickly add new clinical information directly into the templates, and have it seamlessly appear in reports, is amazing. It means we're essentially auditing our quality even before the work gets done.”
What Should be Included in an ADHD Assessment Template?
A comprehensive ADHD assessment template should guide clinicians through all essential components of the evaluation process. Below are the key elements that should be included in an adult ADHD assessment template, though most of these components also apply to child and adolescent assessments.
Mental State Examination
The assessment should begin with a formal mental state examination (MSE) to document the patient's presentation during the interview. This provides valuable observational data that can support or contradict self-reported symptoms and highlight any potential comorbid psychiatric issues.
The ADHD assessment template usually includes headings to record the patient’s:
Appearance and behavior (including evidence of restlessness, fidgeting).
Speech patterns (rapid, tangential, or interrupting).
Mood and affect (especially emotional regulation difficulties).
Thought process (disorganized, racing, or difficulty staying on topic).
Attention and concentration during the interview.
Insight into their difficulties.
Data from the MSE may support later evaluation of ADHD-specific symptoms. For example, noting that a patient "frequently shifted position and tapped fingers” may support self-reports of internal restlessness.
Reason for Assessment
This section should document what prompted the patient to seek an ADHD evaluation.
Common triggers for adult ADHD assessment include:
Performance concerns regarding employment or higher education.
A child's ADHD diagnosis prompting parental self-recognition.
Relationship difficulties related to forgetfulness or disorganization.
Failed attempts to address symptoms through treatment for anxiety or depression.
Understanding the patient's motivation helps frame the assessment and can provide insight into the most significant functional impacts of their symptoms.
Patient History
A thorough biopsychosocial history is essential for accurate ADHD diagnosis. A good ADHD assessment template should include prompts for:
Developmental history - Pregnancy complications, birth history, early developmental milestones, childhood behavioral concerns.
Family history - ADHD and other psychiatric conditions in first-degree relatives (ADHD has approximately 80% heritability).
Medical history - Current and past health conditions, medications, head injuries, sleep disorders, thyroid dysfunction, and other conditions that can mimic ADHD symptoms.
Educational history - Academic performance patterns, behavioral issues, special accommodations, standardized test results, and discrepancies between ability and achievement.
Employment history - Job stability, performance evaluations, difficulties with specific aspects of work (paperwork, deadlines, meetings).
Substance use history - Current and past substance use, with attention to patterns suggesting self-medication (e.g., using substances to "slow down" thinking).
Previous psychiatric treatment - Prior diagnoses, treatment attempts, specialist reports (especially Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), and response to interventions.
This comprehensive history helps rule out alternative explanations for symptoms and establishes the chronic, pervasive nature of ADHD from childhood through to adulthood.
Inattention
An ADHD assessment template should include prompts to record observations and insights covering the inattentive type ADHD diagnosis criteria listed in the DSM-5. These include:
Often fails to give adequate attention to detail or makes careless mistakes at work or in other important activities.
Often has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks (work or leisure).
Often seems not to listen when spoken to directly.
Often doesn’t follow instructions and fails to complete important tasks.
Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities.
Often avoids or is reluctant to undertake tasks requiring sustained mental effort.
Often loses necessary equipment for tasks and activities.
Is often easily distracted.
Is often forgetful in daily activities.
The best ADHD assessment templates allow clinicians to record objective observations in narrative form under each item (sometimes in conjunction with a checkbox). For example, for item 5, a clinician might note, "Patient reports setting upwards of 20 alarms daily to remember basic tasks, describing this as 'exhausting but necessary' to function at work."
Hyperactivity & Impulsivity
The ADHD assessment template should also address all nine DSM-5 hyperactivity and impulsivity criteria. For adults, these symptoms often manifest differently in children, leading to slightly adjusted prompts and headings, such as:
Hyperactivity
Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet or squirms in seat.
Often leaves seat in situations where remaining seated is expected.
Often feels a marked restlessness that’s difficult to control.
Often unable to engage in social or leisure activities in a quiet manner.
Is often “on the go” as if being “driven by a motor”
Often talks excessively
Impulsivity
Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed.
Often has difficulty waiting turns.
Often interrupts or intrudes on others.
Symptom Severity & Diagnostic Prompts
The final section of an ADHD assessment template should include prompts and space to record information on the severity of symptoms and additional diagnostic information. Prompts might include:
Tallies of inattentive and hyperactivity-impulsivity symptoms.
Description of the severity of impairment in social, academic, occupational, and home functioning.
Confirmation that symptom onset occurred before 12 years of age.
Confirmation that symptoms aren’t better explained by another psychiatric condition or substance use.
The clinician’s final assessment.
This section of the ADHD assessment template is especially important, as symptom severity and functional limitation play a vital role in both diagnosis and treatment planning for ADHD.
ADHD Assessment Form Template Example
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Most clinicians find that a good ADHD assessment form reduces the time and energy involved in ADHD assessment. However, documenting an assessment can still take hours, most of which occur after the clinical encounter. This excessive administrative burden is one of the key factors behind the access issues many patients face in accessing timely ADHD assessment.
Better ADHD Assessments with Heidi
Heidi’s ambient AI effortlessly captures the most complex clinical evaluations in real time, slashing the time involved in writing up an ADHD assessment. Just open Heidi on any device, press ‘Start transcribing’ at the beginning of the patient interview, and Heidi transcribes everything that’s said into an ADHD assessment report formatted to your exact specifications. Advantages of using an ADHD assessment form with Heidi include:
Virtually eliminates after-session documentation, which can increase clinical capacity to meet patient demand.
Clinicians can focus entirely on the patient during assessments, improving rapport and diagnostic accuracy.
Specialist reports, self-assessments, and other context can be uploaded and automatically incorporated into assessments.
Heidi is trusted to process more than one million patient consults each week. Adhering to global privacy and data-security standards like GDPR, Australian Privacy Principles (APP), and HIPAA, Heidi is the scribe of choice for clinicians who want to deliver warmer care while spending less time on notes.
This ADHD assessment form encompasses a complete psychosocial, psychological, and ADHD assessment. It includes sections for background history, presenting concerns, and a detailed mental health assessment. The template also covers ADHD-specific symptoms and diagnostic impressions, providing a structured format for clinicians to document findings and recommendations.
Designed specifically for ADHD assessment for adults, this template begins with a comprehensive mental health assessment before covering the DSM-5 criteria for ADHD. Focusing on impairment in work, home life, and relationships, prompts are tailored to identify symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity in adults.
This ADHD assessment template covers all DSM-5 criteria for making a diagnosis of ADHD in children. It includes detailed criteria for assessing inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive symptoms, with prompts to include patient quotes from interview transcripts. The template ensures all necessary diagnostic requirements are met, including symptom duration and impact on functioning.
What is the main difference between the 1/3/5 rule and the 10-3 rule for ADHD assessments?
The 1/3/5 rule and 10-3 rule are more related to the management of ADHD rather than ADHD assessment. The 1-3-5 rule is a technique that can help people with ADHD to prioritize and complete daily tasks. It involves focusing on 1 major task, 3 medium tasks, and 5 small tasks each day. The 10-3 rule is a technique for structuring work-break cycles. The individual with ADHD works for 10 minutes and then takes a 3-minute break, repeating this cycle throughout the day.
Do I need a specific ADHD assessment form for adults?
While not strictly required, it’s recommended to use a purpose-built form when undertaking ADHD assessment for adults. Adult ADHD assessment forms are designed to capture the more subtle internalized symptoms common to adults (like inner restlessness) and assess functioning in domains such as employment, financial management, romantic relationships, and parenting. They also address common adult comorbidities such as substance use disorders, personality disorders, and anxiety.
Can I create my own ADHD assessment form template?
Building your own ADHD assessment form template with Heidi is easy: a) Give Heidi a reference ADHD assessment and ask her to turn it into a template; b) Find an ADHD assessment form from the Template Community and adjust it to suit your needs; c) Make your own template from scratch using the template editor. Our guide to creating templates in Heidi covers everything you need to know.
