How much does a private ADHD assessment cost for a child?

Typically £800–£1,700 in 2026 for a private child ADHD assessment in the UK, depending on whether it is online or in-person and the provider; the NHS route is free but waits often exceed one to two years. ADHD is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and a private assessment is only worth paying for if the assessor is a specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician or other suitably qualified professional — the standard NICE sets for an ADHD diagnosis.

What you actually pay, and what moves the price

Published 2026 rate cards from named providers sit inside that range. The figure includes the pre-assessment questionnaires, the diagnostic interview and a written report. What moves it:

• Online versus in-person. The ADHD Centre lists a child assessment at £1,395 online and £1,695 in-person. In-person work tends to cost more because child assessments usually run across several sessions with input from parents and teachers.
• The provider. Clinical Partners publishes a fixed £995 for a child aged six and over; Chase Lodge starts from £990. Mid-range fixed prices like these anchor the lower part of the range.
• Your child’s age. Most private providers follow the NICE age framing and assess children aged six and over.

The cost the listicles leave out

The headline price is a one-off. A diagnosis usually means medication titration — several months of dose-finding, charged per follow-up appointment (around £295 each at the ADHD Centre) plus the prescription and pharmacy costs on top. And many GPs now decline a shared-care agreement, which is the arrangement that lets your NHS GP take over prescribing after a private diagnosis. Where they refuse, you can be left paying for private prescriptions indefinitely. Budget for the year, not the assessment day.

The free NHS route, and why it is not just “slower”

The NHS route costs nothing, but it is long. NHS England data for September 2025 shows over 63% of children waiting for an ADHD assessment had waited more than a year, and around a third of those more than two years. Right to Choose — the legal right to pick an NHS-funded provider with a shorter list — was the usual faster free option, but in 2025/26 it was paused or capped for new ADHD and autism referrals in at least nine NHS commissioning areas until April 2026. So across much of England there is no quick free shortcut, which is exactly what pushes families toward paying.

If you are weighing the wait, see how long the NHS ADHD waiting list is and how to get your child assessed on the NHS before you commit either way.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.