New ADHD detection tool to be piloted in Yorkshire to help early intervention

The assessment, developed by Peili Vision, based in the Nexus innovation hub at the University of Leeds, has received £99,000 from the Launchpad program within Innovate UK to offer free pilots of the programme in the Leeds area in partnership with local schools, GPs and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

The gamified EFSim detection tool simulates the home environment where children perform everyday common tasks, with students having to remember these and perform them correctly. While the test is intended to primarily evaluate the executive functioning of students, it has been shown to have 88 per cent accuracy in early detection of ADHD.

Children and young people aged between eight and 20 are encouraged to use the web screening ‘game’ at school computers - similar to a dyslexia screening - with separate focused results delivered to health practitioners, parents and children, allowing for more tailored interventions from the schools, families and GPs as required.

The test can also be taken at home, with GPs able to share a link for children to take it privately, with results reviewed with the clinician at a follow-up appointment.

Currently, around five per cent of children in the UK are diagnosed with ADHD, with waiting lists for assessment lasting as long as five years in some cases.

Founded originally in Finland in 2015 and active in the UK since 2023, Peili Vision focuses on executive function deficit detection for schools and in health care. Pilots in more than 100 schools with around 10,000 pupils have already taken place in Finland, and several pilots are due to start in London in August.

Ari Billig at Peili Vision, said: “ADHD affects so many people but is often misdiagnosed or only identified much later in life. It can have a significant impact on people’s lives and early detection can make a world of difference, so it’s important that we do more to address this.”