How this site works

Who runs ADHD Scot

ADHD Scot is an independent, non-commercial information project run by a neurodivergent person in Scotland. It is not affiliated with any NHS board, clinical provider, charity, or pharmaceutical company. See the About page for more on the background to the site.

What this site is for

ADHD Scot exists to bring reliable, Scotland-specific information about ADHD and autism assessment into one place. It is aimed at people trying to understand their options, not to replace clinical advice, but to help people arrive at appointments better informed.

This site does not provide assessments, diagnoses, prescriptions, or clinical advice of any kind.

How content is sourced

Every factual claim on this site is drawn from one of the following:

• NHS Scotland publications: including NHS Inform, the Scottish Government Neurodevelopmental Pathway, and the Right Decisions medicines formulary
• NICE clinical guidelines: particularly NG87 (ADHD: diagnosis and management, England and Wales only; NHS Right Decisions is the Scotland-specific equivalent)
• SIGN guidelines: particularly SIGN 145 (Assessment, diagnosis and interventions for autism spectrum disorders) and associated NAIT (Neurodevelopmental Assessment in Infants and Toddlers) guidance
• Statutory registers: Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), the General Medical Council (GMC), the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), and the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). HIS registration requirements for private ADHD and autism services are summarised from a written reply HIS sent in response to our enquiry in July 2026 (HIS does not endorse or verify this site; the summary is general guidance, not legal advice), see our regulation page.
• Freedom of Information responses: submitted directly to Scottish health boards and published with the response date
• Published academic research: referenced with full citations
• Official government sources: GOV.UK and Scottish Government publications

We do not use social media posts, forum threads, unverified personal accounts, or provider marketing materials as sources, where this did ever occur it would be stated directly. Where something is widely reported but we cannot verify it from a primary source, we say so clearly.

Provider comparison tool

The provider comparison tool lists private ADHD and autism assessment providers in Scotland. Information in the tool is:

• Drawn from publicly available sources (provider websites, HIS register, professional registers)
• Verified against primary sources before publication
• Stamped with a "last verified" date on every listing
• Provider-declared where labelled as such, and clearly marked as such

No provider pays for inclusion, a higher position, or a better listing. The tool filters from the patient's perspective, not the clinic's marketing sheet. We do not rank providers or make qualitative judgements about named clinics and we want to be 100% transparent about our methods.

How the default order works. When you open the directory, providers are ordered by how complete each listing is, that is, whether prices, wait times, clinician details and credentials have been filled in. This is a measure of the information available, not a judgement of clinical quality, and it deliberately ignores how many assessment types a provider offers, so a specialist adult-only service is never disadvantaged. No provider pays to appear higher, and you can re-order by wait, cost or name at any time. We invite every provider we list to review and update their own entry, and anyone can submit or correct a listing through our provider form, so the directory stays current.

Lived-experience quotes

Some pages, such as What people told us, pair our verified Freedom of Information data with short quotes about people's experiences of ADHD and autism assessment in Scotland. How we handle them:

• They come from comments people posted publicly themselves, in response to our work.
• We anonymise every quote and remove anything that could identify the person. No names, usernames, or profile links are ever published.
• We paraphrase rather than quote word for word, so a comment cannot be traced back to its original post.
• They are clearly labelled as individual, unverified accounts, and kept visibly separate from the FOI figures, which are the verified part of the page.

These accounts are there to show what the numbers mean in practice, not to stand in for data. If a quote is yours and you would like it removed, email hello@adhdscot.co.uk. See our privacy policy for the data-protection detail.

How we handle errors and corrections

If you find an error on this site, factual, factual omission, or an outdated link, please email hello@adhdscot.co.uk. We aim to review corrections within 7 days and update content within 14 days of a verified correction.

Where a correction is made to a substantive factual claim, we note the change and the date at the bottom of the relevant page.

Review schedule

Each page carries a "last reviewed" date. We aim to review all clinical and regulatory content at least every 12 months, or sooner if guidance changes. Pages are reviewed more frequently when:

• NICE or SIGN guidelines are updated
• NHS Scotland publishes new neurodevelopmental pathway guidance
• HIS or professional register requirements change
• We receive new FOI data from a health board

What this site is not

• A clinical service
• Endorsed by NHS Scotland, any health board, or any professional body
• A substitute for speaking to your GP or a qualified clinician
• A ranking or review site for private providers
• Funded by any provider, pharmaceutical company, or advertiser

Conflicts of interest

ADHD Scot does not accept advertising, paid listings, sponsored content, or funding from private assessment providers or pharmaceutical companies. The site has no affiliate relationships. If this changes, it will be disclosed clearly on this page.

Contact

Questions about our sources, corrections, or methodology: hello@adhdscot.co.uk