Psychological assessment
ADHD and autism assessment in Karachi
Structured neurodevelopmental assessment for ADHD and for autism, administered by a qualified clinical psychologist and written up as a report. Children and adults — in clinic in PECHS and DHA, Karachi.
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What it measures
A neurodevelopmental assessment is a structured clinical process that looks at attention, activity, impulse control, communication, social understanding, sensory responses and learning — and at how those have shown up across a person's life rather than only this term. It draws on internationally validated instruments, on developmental history, and usually on what more than one setting reports, because home and school often see different things.
ADHD assessment
Concerns about attention, restlessness, impulsivity or organisation — in a child whose school reports repeat the same sentence year after year, or in an adult who has spent a working life compensating and has run out of room to.
Autism assessment
Concerns about social communication, repetitive or highly focused patterns, sensory sensitivity, or a difference in how a child relates that a parent has noticed since very early on — and in adults who were never assessed as children.
What it is notIt is not a checklist, a screener or an online quiz, and none of those produce something a school, a college or a clinician can act on. It is not a single appointment that hands back a word. It does not begin with the answer already assumed — a large part of what an assessment does is establish what is not going on, because anxiety, a learning difficulty, a hearing problem, trauma and a straightforwardly unsuitable classroom can all produce a version of the same picture. And it is not something anyone can do for their own child, however well they know them.
What happens, step by step
PHC is an assessment-first practice, and this is the assessment that most needs it: nothing here starts from the label you arrived with.
- An initial session.We ask what has been going on, from when, and what it is costing at home and at school. Bring school reports, any previous assessments, and — for a child — anything you remember about early development. If the school has written to you, bring the letter. Nothing is administered before this conversation.
- A decision about what is warranted.The initial session establishes which instruments are clinically indicated for this person, and whether something else should be ruled out first. You will not be given tests you do not need.
- Administration, in person, by a qualified clinical psychologist.Structured tasks and observation with the person being assessed, alongside developmental and behavioural information gathered from the people who know them. Assessment of a young child looks like play and activity, because that is how a young child is observed. Assessment sessions run about two hours for a child and about three hours for an adult. Where sessions are held daily an assessment is usually finished in about a week; more often it takes two to three weeks, and we do not recommend stretching it past three — the length depends on what the initial session found was warranted, and you are told what to expect before you come. More than one visit is often involved.
- A written report.What was administered, what it found, what it means in ordinary language, and what would help — at home, in the classroom, and in therapy. The report is with you in two to three weeks, depending on how complex the case is. The tests are scored and interpreted, the report is written, and Prof. Dr. Tahira Yousaf reviews and approves it before it is handed over.
- A conversation about what follows.For ADHD, that may include work with the child, structured support for parents, and the school conversation the report is written to support. For autism, it may include behavioural and play-based work and, again, parents as part of it. Where a psychiatric opinion on medication is part of the picture, we will say so — PHC's clinicians are psychologists, not prescribers, and we will refer rather than pretend otherwise.
Who it is for, and who it is not for
This assessment is carried out with children, adolescents and adults. Adult assessment is a real part of the work, not an afterthought: a large number of adults in Karachi grew up before any of this was routinely looked for.
It is not a service for obtaining a label to explain a difficult term at school, and an honest assessment sometimes concludes that what is happening is anxiety, a specific learning difficulty, or a mismatch between a child and a classroom. If that is the finding, that is what the report says, and it is the more useful outcome.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
What it is used to answer
- ADHDhow it shows up day to day, and what support follows the report.
- Parenting difficultiesbehaviour, school refusal and structured support for parents.
- Learning difficultiesfrequently assessed alongside, because attention and learning are hard to separate from the outside.
- Autismwhat autism looks like at home and at school, and what follows a report.
Who administers it
Every psychologist at PHC holds a minimum postgraduate qualification in clinical psychology and completed over 800 supervised clinical hours before joining. The four psychologists below name neurodevelopmental work in their own supplied credentials.
Asif J. SoherwardyAssociate Clinical Psychologist · 4+ years
MS Clinical Psychology, Bahria University. Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD and learning difficulties in children. Child-Centered Play Therapy, Applied Behaviour Analysis, sensory integration and remedial therapy.Read their profile →
Falahat AwanClinical Psychologist · 18+ years
MPhil Clinical Psychology. 4,000+ clinical hours. Stated specialisation: psychological assessment and psychotherapy. Neurodevelopmental disorders and learning disorders, across children, adolescents and adults.Read their profile →
Amna RasheedClinical Psychologist · Lecturer
MS Applied Psychology (Clinical), Ziauddin University. 2,500+ clinical hours. Autism, inclusivity, and comprehensive psychological assessments. Adolescents and young adults.Read their profile →
Aisha AhmadClinical Psychologist · 5+ years
Master's in Clinical Psychology. Neurodevelopmental disorders; psychological and psychodiagnostic assessments for children and adults; behavioural therapy with neurodivergent children and adolescents.Read her profile →Asif J. Soherwardy's stated expertise is with children, which is what their card says — adult assessment is covered by the clinicians whose bios name adults. Who you see is decided at the initial session. See every psychologist at PHC.
Questions people ask first
Will you tell me whether my child has ADHD or autism?
An assessment produces a written clinical report describing how this person attends, communicates, learns and responds, what that pattern is consistent with, and what would help. It is not a yes-or-no service, and any page that promised you a particular answer in advance would be telling you something it cannot know. What we can tell you is that you will leave with a document that says what was found and what to do about it.
My child is very young. Is it too early?
Bring the question anyway. Early concerns are worth raising, and part of what the initial session does is work out whether a full assessment now is the right step or whether something more specific is. Assessment of a young child is conducted through play and structured activity, not through sitting still at a desk.
Can an adult be assessed?
Yes. Adults are assessed at PHC, most often where attention, organisation or social difficulty has become a real cost at work, at university or in relationships, and was never looked at as a child.
What is in the report, and who else sees it?
It sets out what was administered, what it found, what it means and what would help at home, at school and in therapy. It belongs to the person assessed, or to the parent where the person assessed is a child, and nothing goes to a school, a doctor or a relative without your say-so.
What does it cost, and how long does it take?
Assessment sessions run about two hours for a child and about three hours for an adult. Where sessions are held daily an assessment is usually finished in about a week; more often it takes two to three weeks, and we do not recommend stretching it past three. Fees vary by psychologist and by service, and the length depends on what the initial session found was warranted. You send us six details, we come back with a psychologist, a time and a fee, and you decide. How fees and booking work.
Confidentiality, session length and choosing your psychologist are answered in full in questions people ask before booking.
Where testing happens
Speaking to someone starts here
PHC is appointment-only. Message or call and a real person answers — Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm PKT.
Not sure whether this is us? Contact us anyway. We will tell you directly whether we can help, and refer you elsewhere if we cannot.
Six details, and we can match you
- Name of the person who will attend
- Their age
- What is going on, in your own words
- Whether you would prefer a male or female psychologist
- Online, or in clinic in Karachi
- Whether the person attending is a minor or elderly
If someone else is paying, we will also ask for guardian or payer details. A slot is held once the booking payment is received — half the fee, at least 24 hours ahead.