ADHD assessment information in Australia: A secret shopper study

PurposeTo provide a representative Australian sample of ADHD assessment information available to consumers prior to booking an appointment, psychologists, psychiatrists, and paediatricians (N = 736) were contacted through a secret shopper design. Assessment information included the types of measures, the number of measures, the use of multiple informants, and the number of sessions required for adult and child assessments.Major Findings56% of providers declined to provide information about assessment content before booking an appointment. Psychologists provided information at a higher rate than psychiatrists and paediatricians. The majority of providers did not indicate the use of multiple informants (76.8% of psychologists and 100% of psychiatrists for adult assessments; 53.2% of psychologists, 85.7% of psychiatrists, and 50% of paediatricians for child assessments).ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate a lack of readily available information to consumers prior to booking ADHD assessments, limiting the consumer's ability to anticipate if best-practice methods would be used.