Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition. Symptoms can include difficulty with regulating attention, impulsive behaviours and hyperactivity. There are three types of ADHD: Inattentive, Hyperactive-Impulsive and Combined. People with ADHD can have issues with forgetfulness, concentration, making careless mistakes, starting and completing tasks, fidgeting and feeling like they are running on a motor and impulsive behaviours such as taking up lots of hobbies on a whim and losing interest quickly, spending money and even addictions.

However, people with ADHD can also hyperfocus on tasks and activities they enjoy, think creatively and can be more willing to take risks, which means that those with ADHD are more likely to set up a business than neurotypical people. With the right support and coping mechanisms, people with ADHD can thrive.

People with ADHD are more likely to experience anxiety and depression as well as issues with sleep. It is therefore crucial that we look at you as a whole person and not just a diagnosis. At the Aspen Clinic, we can tailor the support you receive following a diagnosis of ADHD to meet your individual needs.

We follow the NICE Guidelines for ADHD which means we can offer medication, psychological therapies or a combination of both. The Aspen Clinic can also support with talking therapies to manage anxiety or depression, and strategies to help with sleep, time management and how to access reasonable adjustments at school and/or work.

The assessment for ADHD is in two parts. Firstly, we will talk to you about the challenges you are experiencing, as well as asking questions about your childhood, education, family life and general physical and mental health. The second part of the assessment looks at your symptoms and how they impact on your life including education, work, relationships and hobbies.

There will be some forms to complete online prior to your assessment. This gives us some information about your current challenges and allows us to use our assessment time more effectively. You don’t have to fill in the forms all at once and can complete these in smaller chunks if this is easier.

We usually ask for information from someone who knows you well, an ‘informant’. Ideally, this would be someone who has known you since childhood. If this isn’t possible, we can speak to someone who knows you well, which could be a partner, friend, work colleague or a professional who works with you (social worker, healthcare professional, or worker from a support organisation). If you’re not sure who can provide this information, please let us know and we will do our best to help you.

For most children and young people and some adults, we will also ask you to do a ‘Qb’ test. This involves completing a simple computer-based task, while wearing a flexible band around your head that tracks movement. This provides us with a report that can be used as part of your assessment.

We want to make sure that a diagnosis of ADHD is accurate and meets NICE guidelines to provide a high standard of care. This means we will discuss all the assessment information with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), a team of healthcare professionals with different expertise, before we give you a diagnosis. This also allows us to consider what support we can offer.

After the MDT meeting, we will be able to tell you your diagnosis, and the reasons why. Remember a negative diagnosis is still a diagnosis. We can also tell you more about the support available from The Aspen Clinic and other organisations. The MDT meetings are weekly, so we won’t keep you waiting long for an outcome. We will then send a report out to you by email or post. With your permission, we can also share this with your GP.

If you are having difficulties that might be ADHD, but you aren’t certain, we can offer an initial consultation on its own. This takes approximately 60-90 minutes, and we may ask you to complete some forms before you attend your appointment. We will ask about your symptoms, your early life, work, education, family and mental health. For children and young people, there will be an opportunity for parents/carers to meet with the clinician on their own and/or together with their child. Children and young people will also be offered the opportunity to speak with the clinician on their own if necessary.

After the initial consultation, we may recommend proceeding to an ADHD assessment or we may wish to discuss your assessment with our multi-disciplinary team to get a range of expert opinions on what your next step should be. If we think you don’t need an ADHD assessment, we will tell you and explain the reasons why. We may suggest another type of neurodevelopmental assessment, or we may suggest psychological therapies. You are under no obligation to proceed with any recommendations we make.

If you are unsure, an initial consultation can be a cost-effective way of getting an expert opinion and recommendations on what to do next without committing to a full assessment.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition. It is often known as Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) or simply Autism. Autistic people have differences in how they communicate and interact with others, as well as repetitive and restrictive behaviours.

Autism is a spectrum, which means that no two autistic people are the same. Some autistic people don’t communicate verbally, some might find eye contact uncomfortable, some will have a high IQ (high intelligence) while others may have learning difficulties. Having a strict routine is important for some autistic people and not for others. Many autistic people have behaviours known as stimming, which may include rocking, moving their hands in certain ways or using fidget toys. Sensory differences are common in autistic people, which could mean avoiding certain textures of food, sensitivity to bright lights or sounds, or discomfort wearing certain clothing.

Many autistic people learn to mask their autistic traits to fit in with their peers. This can mean that they don’t receive a diagnosis until later in life. A late diagnosis can be difficult to adjust to, but this is something we can support you with.

Each autistic person has their own unique challenges, which can impact on their day-to-day life including work, education and hobbies. However, they also have unique strengths and ways of thinking that can bring a lot to the world.

Autistic people are more likely to have chronic health conditions and are more likely to experience mental health issues than neurotypical people, such as anxiety and depression. Only 30% of autistic adults are in employment, and those in work are often underemployed in relation to their skills and qualifications.

During the assessment we will ask you about the challenges you are experiencing, as well as asking questions about your childhood, education, family life and general physical and mental health. For children and young people, we will also ask school to complete some questionnaires and provide detailed feedback relating to the child’s experiences in school.

We will also complete a standardised assessment known as an ‘ADOS’. This standard for the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. There will be two people present from The Aspen Clinic. During this assessment, we will ask you some questions and may get you to complete some tasks. We will take some notes on the ADOS forms to record your responses to questions and tasks. There aren’t any right or wrong answers or ways to do the tasks, so please don’t worry about getting anything wrong!

One of the purposes of the ADOS is to observe how you interact and communicate with others and your unique way of completing a task.

The ADOS is scored, and this is considered alongside all the other information we have from your assessment, including all the forms you or your family or carer have completed.

We want to make sure that a diagnosis of autism is accurate and meets NICE guidelines to provide a high standard of care. This means we will discuss all the assessment information with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), a team of healthcare professionals with different expertise, before we give you a diagnosis of autism. This also allows us to consider what support we can offer.

After the MDT meeting, we will be able to tell you if we can give you a diagnosis and the reasons why. It is important to remember that a negative diagnosis is still a diagnosis. We can also tell you more about the support available from The Aspen Clinic and other organisations. The MDT meetings are weekly, so we won’t keep you waiting long for an outcome. We will then send a report out to you by email or post. With your permission, we can also share this with your GP.

Support for autistic people at the Aspen Clinic doesn’t focus on “treating” autism, but instead on supporting with the challenges they face. For example, we can provide therapy for anxiety that is adapted for neurodivergent people, or strategies to help with identifying and expressing emotions or speech and language therapy to help you develop communication skills and strategies. People diagnosed later in life may need to talk through what this means and develop strategies to unmask, and we can help you with this too.

Following our comprehensive assessment, we can create a package of support that meets your (or your loved one’s) unique needs.

We will always explain the reasons why we can’t give you a diagnosis of autism or ADHD. The symptoms and traits of ADHD or autism can be like some other conditions, and if we think your differences are related to something else, we will let you know and explain what happens next. We may ask to write to your GP to request further investigations of refer you to a specialist.

We know it can be disappointing if we aren’t able to give a diagnosis. However, in many cases we can still help with your difficulties. This could include psychological therapies, groups, or helping you to develop coping strategies.

If you think you might be autistic, but you aren’t certain, we can offer an initial consultation on its own. This takes approximately 60-90 minutes, and we may ask you to complete some forms before you attend your appointment. We will ask about your symptoms, your early life, work, education, family and mental health. For children and young people, there will be an opportunity for parents/carers to meet with the clinician on their own and/or together with their child. Children and young people will also be offered the opportunity to speak with the clinician on their own if necessary.

After the initial consultation, we may recommend proceeding to an autism assessment or we may wish to discuss your assessment with our multi-disciplinary team to get a range of expert opinions on what your next step should be. If we think you don’t need an autism assessment, we will tell you and explain the reasons why. We may suggest another type of neurodevelopmental assessment, or we may suggest psychological therapies. You are under no obligation to proceed with any recommendations we make.

If you are unsure, an initial consultation can be a cost-effective way of getting an expert opinion and recommendations on what to do next without committing to a full assessment.

Until recently, most research on autism was about boys, usually from a white background. Up to date research tells us that women and girls are more likely to mask autistic traits. This is when a person hides their autistic traits, which can include suppressing stimming behaviours, rehearsing conversations in advance and copying the body language of neurotypical people. Over time, this can lead to anxiety and low self-esteem.

Others may mask autistic traits, due to cultural differences, stigma and societal expectations. Unfortunately, there isn’t much research about how people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities experience being autistic. There is clearly a long way to go in understanding how autism presents in people from diverse backgrounds.

It is important to understand how your friend, loved one, colleague or child may experience the world differently than to a neurotypical person. There are some excellent online resources, books and podcasts that may help you to understand the world from a neurodivergent perspective. It’s also good to ask the person to explain some of their individual challenges.

You can also provide some practical support, such as helping with reasonable adjustments at work or in education, helping to complete benefits forms or meeting up with them in venues less likely to cause sensory overload.

Appointment times will vary but we will always inform you of how long each appointment is expected to take. Sometimes they may take longer so please make sure you don’t have to rush off anywhere after your appointment time.

Adults can bring a friend, family member or someone else who is part of their support system. If you don’t have someone who can attend but would feel more comfortable with someone else in the room, we can arrange for another member of staff to stay with you during the appointment. You may hear us refer to this person as a “chaperone”. For children and young people, parents may be in the room with them if they wish, however where possible parents will be asked to wait in the waiting room.

Yes. We can arrange appointments online if it isn’t convenient to come to the clinic, or if you’d be more comfortable at home. Your device will need a working camera. We recommend you use a laptop or tablet on a flat surface in a well-lit room so we can see you properly throughout the appointment. Please make sure you are in a private area where you won’t be interrupted.

We may ask that you attend some appointments in person. For example, if we need to check your physical observations like blood pressure, or if we are prescribing medication for the first time. We will let you know if we need you to attend our clinic.

The Aspen Clinic is wheelchair accessible on the ground floor and has an accessible toilet. If you can’t use stairs, let us know and we will make sure your appointments are on the ground floor.

We have an induction loop for hearing aid users, and we can provide information in alternative formats. Assistance dogs are always welcome.

The Aspen Clinic has been designed with and for neurodivergent people and provides a calm and peaceful environment. We are in a small business park set quite a way back from main roads and the tram lines, and you can’t usually hear much outside noise. We can dim the lights during your assessment, provide sensory or fidget toys. We have a sensory cave upstairs for children, a fish tank, TV and more. If there’s anything you need us to do to avoid sensory overload and make you more comfortable—like switching off the TV or dimming the lights—let us know.

Other adaptations can usually be accommodated on request. For example, using an interpreter. Please advise us of any specific needs as far in advance as possible.

We are located at Unit 12, Quays Reach Business Park, Carolina Way, Salford M50 2ZY

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Public transport:

Langworthy is the closest Metrolink (tram) station, a 3–5-minute walk from the clinic. Quays Reach Business Park is just off South Langworthy Road. Broadway and MediaCityUK tram stations are within a 10-minute walk.

Bus numbers 33 and 50 also stop within a few minutes’ walk of the clinic.

There are several rail stations within a few miles including Eccles, Salford Central and Salford Crescent. Manchester Piccadilly, Deansgate and Oxford Road are also a few miles away and connect to bus and tram routes. There is a taxi rank outside Manchester Piccadilly station.

To plan your journey by public transport, click here: Bee Network | Powered by TfGM

Parking:

The clinic has limited free parking available. Please ensure you park in the correct bays for the Aspen Clinic only. There is a park and ride available at Ladywell Metrolink station, with free parking available for Metrolink users. Once parked, get the tram going towards MediaCityUK, Piccadilly or Etihad Campus and travel two stops to Langworthy.

Cycling:

We do not have indoor cycle storage at the clinic or showers. However, there is a cycle hub at MediaCityUK (a 10-minute walk from the clinic) which has storage for 300 bikes, as well as showers and changing facilities. You will need to register and purchase a cycle hub membership here: Scheme MediaCityUK Cycle Hub | TfGM Bee Active

If you are an adult and you think you may have dyslexia or dyspraxia, we can provide remote assessments with one of our practitioners. We may ask you to complete a screening form online before booking your appointment. This is to make sure an assessment is right for you, as other conditions can often overlap with dyslexia or dyspraxia. The assessment for dyslexia or dyspraxia is usually completed in one appointment.

Yes. We can provide assessments of cognition, if this is requested. ‘Cognitive’ assessments test someone’s thinking skills. You or your loved one may wish to know about your areas of relative strength or relative weakness, and our cognitive assessments can also provide an ‘IQ’ score that is commonly used to categorise intelligence. Sometimes people wish to know what their IQ score is if they are applying for certain schools, universities or ‘gifted and talented’ programmes. If you would like a cognitive assessment, this will usually involve several sessions with one of our Clinical Psychologists. You or your loved one will complete a series of tasks and answer various questions. This type of assessment usually takes place over several sessions, and you will be provided with a comprehensive report at the end, which will include recommendations.

If you would like to see us for psychological therapy, there are a wide variety of psychological therapies that can be provided for you. This includes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Compassion-Focussed Therapy (CFT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and Attachment-informed therapy. Our Clinical Psychologists and therapists will always ensure that any psychological therapy you receive is adapted to your specific needs. This may include adapting certain techniques or strategies for neurodivergent people, to make this more effective for you. Psychological therapy appointments are usually 50 minutes long. The number of sessions you need will depend on your unique circumstances, experiences and challenges. This is usually in the region of 6-10 sessions, though can be longer for some and shorter for others.

Yes. The Aspen Clinic is an inclusive healthcare provider. Some of our staff are members of the LGBTQ+ communities.

Research has shown that LGBTQ+ people face barriers to healthcare and health inequalities. Healthcare staff making assumptions around the sexuality and gender of their patients continues to be an issue, even now. This needs to change.

Given the high number of neurodivergent people who are LGBTQ+, it is crucial that any service supporting neurodivergent people is also queer friendly. You can be assured that all clinicians at The Aspen Clinic have received specific training on understanding and meeting the needs of the LGBTQ+ communities.

Depending on the service you choose/ is clinically relevant the number of appointments you have will differ. This will always be explained to you ahead of time, so you know what to expect. We pride ourselves on our tailored approach, therefore wherever possible we will always advocate for patient choice / preference whether you wish to have a digital or face-2 face appointment(s). There may however be occasions, when your clinician makes a recommendation for either an in clinic or an online appointment. This must be adhered to wherever possible.

In-clinic: Ensure you give yourself enough time for travel. We do have onsite parking and comfortable facilities. We suggest you don’t arrive too soon for your appointment. 5-10 minutes in advance is fine. That way we can ensure all necessary documents are completed.

Online: Make sure your device is fully charged, and you have a stable internet connection. Your online appointments will be hosted via Microsoft teams.

Yes, you will receive a link via email or via your preferred communication prior to your appointment. Make sure to check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see it in your inbox.

Yes, you will need to have your camera on to facilitate effective communication throughout your appointment.

Ensure you are in a calm and confidential environment where you can speak freely without interruptions. Choose a quiet room with good lighting.

Test your video and audio settings before the appointment. Close other applications to avoid distractions and potential technical issues.

Keep a list of any questions or concerns you have, so you don’t forget to mention them during the appointment.

It’s natural to feel nervous. Try to stay calm and remember that the clinician is there to support you. Taking a few deep breaths before the appointment can help.

Both online and in-clinic appointments adhere to strict confidentiality protocols to ensure your information is kept private and secure. Only authorised personnel will have access to your information.

If you have any other questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out to us!