A quick first look at attention and restlessness.
Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS)
If staying focused, finishing tasks, keeping track of things, or sitting still has felt hard, it can be difficult to know whether it is worth looking into ADHD. The ASRS is a short questionnaire in which you rate how often you have experienced common signs of ADHD in adults. It gives your psychologist a first picture of what you have noticed, and it is used as the screening step of the Adult ADHD Assessment.
What the questionnaire looks at.
Focus and finishing tasks
How often you find it hard to stay focused, pay attention to details, or finish what you start.
Organisation and remembering
How often you struggle to get things in order, keep track of appointments and belongings, or put off tasks that need sustained effort.
Restlessness
How often you fidget, feel restless, or find it hard to sit still for a long time.
Talking and waiting your turn
How often you talk a great deal, finish other people's sentences, or find it hard to wait.
Unwinding and relaxing
How often you find it hard to relax even when you have free time.
How often does it happen?
For each question, you choose how often it has happened. This helps your psychologist see which experiences are occasional and which are frequent.
Note: Are you unsure whether this is the right assessment? A short conversation with our team is a good place to start. We will recommend the right option for your situation.
Why this assessment may be recommended
You have struggled with focus, organisation, or follow-through for a long time.
You have often been told you are distracted, forgetful, or restless, and you want to understand why.
A child or family member has been diagnosed with ADHD, and you recognise similar patterns in yourself.
You are already getting help for anxiety or low mood, and ADHD may be part of the picture.
You would like a quick, structured starting point before deciding on a fuller assessment.
You are looking for clarity after years of being told you simply need to try harder.
How the assessment works.
- 1Step 1
A conversation first
You meet a psychologist to talk about your concerns and your history and to decide together whether this assessment suits you.
- 2Step 2
The questionnaire
You rate 18 questions about how often you have noticed common signs of ADHD.
- 3Step 3
Review
Your psychologist looks at your answers and talks them through with you.
- 4Step 4
The rest of the assessment and feedback
Your answers are used along with the other parts of the assessment, including a symptom checklist and the DIVA-5 interview. When every part is complete, you have a complimentary feedback session of about 1 hour, where your full report is explained in plain language and next steps are discussed.
Confidential and clinically guided
Your assessment is carried out with professionalism, dignity, and confidentiality. Your psychologist explains what they find in plain language, and you can ask questions at any point.
Please note: The ASRS is a screening tool. It cannot diagnose on its own. A higher number of answers in the range linked with ADHD does not mean you have ADHD. A lower number does not rule it out. The questionnaire does not ask about your childhood, and ADHD begins in childhood even when it is first noticed much later. This is covered in the DIVA-5 interview. A diagnosis is a clinical decision made after looking at the full picture.
Things people ask
No. The most helpful thing you can do is answer as honestly as you can.
The questionnaire usually takes around 5 minutes.
No. The questionnaire is a first step. It helps your psychologist decide what to look at more closely, and the rest of the assessment looks at your history and daily life.
No. The questionnaire asks about the past six months. Your childhood is covered in the DIVA-5 interview, which is part of the same assessment.
Both are questionnaires used for the screening step. The ASRS asks how often you notice common signs of ADHD. The Brown scales look at the thinking skills behind organisation, focus, energy, and memory. Your psychologist tells you which one is used.
Support depends on your needs. It may include practical strategies, therapy, and, where it could help, a consultation with a psychiatrist about whether medication is suitable.
Your results are kept confidential, with the standard exceptions required by law, such as a risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else. We talk with you about who will receive them before anything is shared.
The ASRS is designed for adults. We offer other ADHD assessments for adolescents as well. Our care coordinator can advise on the right option.
Want to arrange an assessment, or just ask a question?
Our care coordinator will talk you through what to expect confidentially.
If you need urgent help: Are you in immediate distress? Please call iCall 9152987821 for immediate support.