Agitation & impulsivity
Difficulty staying seated, acting before thinking, talking out of turn, taking risks without apparent awareness. More visible in boys and in school settings.
Child & Adolescent ADHD Assessment · Geneva · From age 6
Child & Adolescent
ADHD Assessment in Geneva
Is your child distracted, agitated, impulsive, slow with homework or struggling despite their efforts? The assessment seeks to understand what relates to attention, organisation, development, school context or other possible factors — not to label too quickly.
Children from age 6 & adolescents
English & French
Rue De-Candolle 20, Geneva
Why consult?
When a child's difficulties raise questions
In children, ADHD is not limited to visible agitation. Inattention can go unnoticed for a long time — especially when the child is intelligent, compliant or non-disruptive. Difficulties often emerge first at school before affecting self-confidence and family life.
The assessment does not start from the assumption that the child has ADHD. It seeks to understand their functioning: what is costly, how they compensate, in which contexts difficulties arise.
Geneva's international community includes many families navigating multilingual schooling, frequent relocations and high-performance environments. These factors can interact with a child's neurocognitive profile in complex ways that a structured assessment can help untangle.
Inattention & drifting
Losing the thread, forgetting instructions, not completing tasks, making careless errors. This profile — often predominantly inattentive — is more easily overlooked, especially in girls.
Persistent academic difficulties
Poor results despite apparent effort, slowness, disorganised written work, difficulty managing homework or deadlines. The gap between perceived ability and results is often a source of frustration.
Emotional & family impact
Irritability, low frustration tolerance, repeated conflicts at home, loss of self-confidence or a sense of being 'different'. The relational and emotional dimension is part of the clinical picture.
Clinical approach
An assessment integrating child, family and school
The child
Tests are administered directly with the child in an age-appropriate, structured and non-threatening setting. Clinical observations during the session are part of the evaluation.
The family
Parents provide irreplaceable knowledge of the child's development, daily life and difficulty contexts. Parental questionnaires complement and enrich the clinical reading.
The school
Teacher observations allow the clinical picture to be cross-referenced with classroom manifestations. ADHD must be present across multiple settings to be clinically documented.
A psychological assessment can document the ADHD clinical hypothesis in a structured way. Medical validation, treatment decisions and any prescribing rest with the paediatrician or child psychiatrist.
For parents
What the assessment can bring you
Understand what is really happening
Behind agitation, slowness, endless homework or loss of confidence, there is often a specific functioning pattern that deserves to be understood — not just corrected. The assessment distinguishes what relates to attention, development, school context or something else.
A compass for next steps
The restitution aims to make the situation legible and propose concrete guidance: home adaptations, discussion with the school, possible school accommodations, medical or therapeutic referral where indicated.
Supporting the school
A documented clinical report can support a request for school accommodations — additional time, adapted instructions, support measures. Modalities vary by school and canton, but the report provides a serious foundation.
Not facing questions alone
Many parents arrive with a sense of helplessness, contradictory advice or a long wait. The first session already clarifies whether an assessment is useful and what it can concretely provide.
Process
The assessment in 5 steps
01
Parent interview
The first session takes place without the child. We explore developmental history, medical background, school and family context, current difficulties, expectations and what is already known.
02
School information
Questionnaires may be sent to teachers to cross-reference home observations with classroom behaviour. This cross-referencing is clinically important: ADHD must manifest across multiple settings.
03
Assessment with the child
Test sessions are adapted to the child's age, fatigue level and attentional capacity. The environment is structured, clear and non-threatening.
04
Questionnaires & interviews
Depending on age: Young DIVA, BRIEF, observer-rated scales (Conners, CAARS-A). Questionnaires are completed by both parents and, where possible, the school.
05
Restitution & report
Restitution first with parents, then optionally with the child depending on age and maturity. Conclusions include clinical hypotheses, practical guidance and possible school accommodations.
Practical information
Before we start
Location
Rue De-Candolle 20, 1205 Geneva
Language
English and French
For
Children from age 6 and adolescents
First session
Parent interview, without the child
Reimbursement
Not covered by LAMal. Some supplementary policies may contribute.
Outcome
Report, possible school accommodations, medical or therapeutic referral if indicated.
FAQ
Child ADHD Assessment in Geneva
From what age can a child be assessed?
Assessments are offered from age 6. The tools used (WISC-V, NEPSY-II, Young DIVA, BRIEF) are normed for this age range. For younger children, referral to a child psychiatrist or neuropaediatrician is generally more appropriate.
Should the teacher be involved?
Not mandatory, but strongly recommended. Questionnaires completed by the school allow cross-referencing of home and classroom observations — which is clinically valuable for distinguishing ADHD from a situational reaction.
Can a psychologist diagnose ADHD in a child?
A psychological assessment can document the ADHD clinical hypothesis in a structured way: developmental history, impact, questionnaires and tests. Medical validation, treatment decisions and any prescribing rest with the paediatrician or child psychiatrist.
Can the assessment support school accommodations?
Yes. A documented clinical report can support a request for school accommodations — additional time, adapted instructions or support measures. Modalities depend on the school and canton.
How many sessions are needed?
The process begins with a parent session. A full ADHD assessment with WISC-V typically requires 4 to 5 sessions spread over several weeks.
Are sessions reimbursed?
Sessions are generally not covered by compulsory Swiss health insurance (LAMal). Some supplementary insurance policies may contribute — please check with your insurer. A detailed invoice is provided.
Book an appointment
Start with a parent interview
The first session takes place without the child. It allows us to clarify the situation, determine whether an assessment is indicated and propose a protocol adapted to the child's age and profile.