ADHD Assessment in Japan, in English
ADHD assessment in English for adults, teenagers and children
Many people arrive at this page after years of wondering.
Years of being told they were disorganised, easily distracted, too intense, not trying hard enough. Years of working twice as hard as everyone around them just to keep up — and still not quite understanding why. Sometimes a diagnosis arrived in childhood and was never revisited. More often, nothing was ever formally explored at all.
From ¥40,000 · 80-minute online appointment · Written report included · English · No referral needed
ADHD assessment is carried out by Dr Lorenzo Geirola, Clinical Neuropsychologist, or by Martina Bottazzo, Japan Certified Public Psychologist (公認心理師). You will know which of them you are seeing before you book. Payment is taken at the time of booking. BeyondBleu is a private practice, so assessment is not covered by Japanese National Health Insurance. You can book an assessment online, or read about each clinician on meet your therapists.
Many adults arrive at assessment after years of quietly adapting — working harder than their peers, missing things they can’t explain, feeling that the way their mind works doesn’t quite fit the systems around them.
Assessment doesn’t change who you are. It clarifies how you are — and opens more effective, more compassionate ways of working with your own mind.
At BeyondBleu, our assessments combine structured clinical testing with a careful, unhurried clinical interview. You receive a clear written report explaining findings in language you can actually use — and, crucially, what to do next.
Assessment is carried out in English, by the same clinician from the first conversation through to the written report. For many people in Japan the difficulty is not finding an assessment at all, but finding one that does not have to be conducted in a second language or through an interpreter.
What ADHD Assessment Involves
A thorough ADHD assessment is not a single questionnaire or a brief conversation. It is a careful, multi-stage clinical process designed to build a complete and accurate picture — not just of whether ADHD is present, but of how it shows up for you specifically, and what that means for how you live and work.
At BeyondBleu, the assessment process includes:
A structured clinical interview
A detailed conversation covering developmental history, current functioning, work and relationships, how you manage attention, impulsivity, and executive function across different areas of your life. For children and adolescents, this includes a parent interview.
Standardised psychometric testing
Validated, internationally recognised assessment tools measuring attention, working memory, processing speed, and executive functioning. These are administered and interpreted by a clinician with formal training in psychological assessment.
Collateral information where relevant
For children, we typically request school reports or teacher observations to build a full picture across settings.
A written report
A clear, well-structured document explaining what was found, what it means, and — critically — what to do next. The report can be shared with a GP, psychiatrist, employer, school, or used to access workplace or academic accommodations.
The entire process is conducted in English. This matters: the vocabulary of attention, executive function, and emotional regulation is nuanced, and being assessed in your first language produces meaningfully more accurate results.
Who Carries Out the Assessment
Dr Lorenzo Geirola, Clinical Neuropsychologist, Registered Psychologist (Tuscany Register, Italy). Trained at the University of Trento and specialised in clinical neuropsychology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart. He carries out neurocognitive assessment — attention, working memory, processing speed and executive functioning — alongside a broader clinical practice that includes individual therapy. He works in English and Italian.
Martina Bottazzo, Japan Certified Public Psychologist (公認心理師). 公認心理師 is Japan’s national psychology licence. Martina carries out psychological assessment for adults and adolescents, including mood, anxiety and trauma-related functioning. She is a PhD candidate at Osaka University, where her research concerns the long-term psychological impact of adverse childhood experiences. She works in English, Italian and Japanese.
Both bring the same quality of attention to assessment: careful, unhurried, and genuinely interested in the person in front of them rather than simply the data they produce. You can read both profiles in full on meet your therapists.
Why Adults Seek Assessment Later in Life
The majority of adults who come to BeyondBleu for ADHD assessment were never assessed as children — or were assessed and told nothing was significantly wrong. Many spent decades developing elaborate coping strategies: rigid routines, hyper-focus, reliance on adrenaline, and enormous private effort to appear as functional as the people around them.
Adult ADHD — particularly in high-achieving individuals — often goes unrecognised precisely because those individuals have been so capable of compensating. The cost of that compensation, however, accumulates: chronic stress, exhaustion, a persistent sense of underperforming despite real effort, relational strain, difficulty in environments where the scaffolding they built no longer holds.
A formal assessment does not change who you are. What it offers is clarity — an accurate understanding of how your attention, memory, and executive function actually work, rather than how you have been told they should work. For most people, that clarity is both professionally useful and personally significant.
International Families and the Japanese School System
For expat families with children in Japan, navigating the school system without a clear diagnostic picture can be genuinely difficult. International schools vary considerably in how they handle learning differences; Japanese public schools have their own processes, expectations, and support structures.
A formal English-language ADHD assessment, with a written report, gives families a document they can use — with an international school’s learning support team, with a paediatrician or psychiatrist for medication consideration, or with the school system in the family’s home country when they eventually relocate.
BeyondBleu works with children and adolescents as well as adults. Where a child assessment is requested, the process is conducted sensitively and developmentally — with the child’s comfort and engagement taken seriously throughout.
Where a child is assessed, we usually ask for school reports or teacher observations as well, so the picture covers home and school rather than one setting alone. Parents are involved throughout, and the findings are explained to you in plain language before anything is written down.
Practical Details
- Format: Online, via secure video. The standard appointment is 80 minutes; a broader assessment may need a second appointment, agreed with you in advance.
- Languages: assessment is carried out in English. Italian and Japanese are also available with the relevant clinician.
- Who it is for: Adults seeking clarity about their own attention and executive functioning; children and adolescents referred by parents or schools; international families requiring English-language documentation.
- Fee: From ¥40,000. Full assessment fee confirmed at enquiry based on scope.
- Report: A written report is provided as standard. Turnaround is discussed at the time of booking.
- No referral needed. You do not need a letter from a GP or psychiatrist to begin. Simply enquire and we will outline the process clearly.
The session. Assessment is carried out online, in English, in a single 80-minute appointment. Some assessments run closer to 90 minutes; we do not stop you at the hour if there is more to cover.
The fee. From ¥40,000, which includes the written report. The final fee is confirmed at enquiry, once we know what the assessment needs to cover. There is no separate charge for the report or for the feedback conversation. Payment is taken in Japanese yen at the time of booking. If your card was issued outside Japan, your bank sets the conversion rate and may add its own fee, so your statement may show a slightly different figure — that difference is your bank’s and we receive no part of it.
Who carries it out. Assessments are conducted by Dr Lorenzo Geirola, clinical neuropsychologist, or by Martina Bottazzo, Japan Certified Public Psychologist (公認心理師). You will know which of them you are seeing before you book.
No referral is needed. You do not have to see a doctor first, and you do not need an existing diagnosis to begin. BeyondBleu is a private practice, so assessment is paid for directly rather than through Japanese National Health Insurance.
The report. You receive a written report you can take to a school, a treating doctor, an employer, or simply keep for yourself. It is written in English.
Changing or cancelling. There is no charge 48 hours or more before the appointment. Inside 48 hours, half the fee applies. On the day, or if the appointment is missed, the full fee applies.
Related: psychological and neurocognitive assessment in Japan · online individual therapy in Japan · child and adolescent therapy · anxiety therapy in Japan · meet your therapists
Frequently Asked Questions
I've managed fine without a diagnosis for years. Is it still worth knowing?
Many people find that the value of a formal assessment is not the label but the understanding. Knowing how your attention actually functions — rather than measuring yourself against a standard that was never built for you — can shift a great deal. It can also open access to accommodations, medication if appropriate, and therapeutic support that is properly tailored to how your mind works.
Can I be assessed for ADHD as an adult even if I wasn't diagnosed as a child?
Yes. Adult ADHD assessment does not require a childhood diagnosis. Many adults were never assessed, or were assessed at a time when ADHD — particularly in girls and high-achieving students — was frequently missed. A thorough adult assessment is valid and meaningful in its own right.
Will the report be accepted by schools, employers, or medical practitioners in Japan and overseas?
The report uses internationally recognised assessment tools and follows established clinical reporting standards. Most international schools, overseas educational institutions, and medical practitioners will accept it. For specific contexts — for example, accessing medication in Japan, or accommodations at a university in a particular country — we recommend confirming local requirements in advance, and we are happy to advise.
My child is in a Japanese school. Can you still help?
Yes. We work with children attending both international and Japanese schools. Where the school system uses Japanese-language processes for support and placement, we can provide a clear English-language report that parents can use with their own GP, international school liaison, or when transitioning to another country’s education system.
Enquire About Assessment
If you are considering an ADHD assessment — for yourself, your child, or a young person in your care — the first step is simply to reach out.
We will explain the process clearly, confirm what is involved for your specific situation, and ensure you are matched with the right clinician.