Key takeaways
- Explore is NeuroCheck Pro's free entry-level screening tier, designed as the front door before any paid assessment.
- It uses 11 validated instruments for adults (ADHD, autism, mood, anxiety, OCD, trauma, sleep, substance use, dyslexia, hypermobility, POTS/dysautonomia) and 6 for children aged 5–17, completed by a parent, carer or teacher.
- Explore does not diagnose. A positive result routes you to Understand (£29.99 self-guided) or Confirm (clinician-led, from £600); nothing you answer is repeated at the next tier.
NeuroCheck Pro exists because getting a proper answer about ADHD, autism, or the conditions that often travel alongside them, usually means a long wait, an expensive private assessment, or months of not knowing where to start. We built three tiers, Explore, Understand and Confirm, so you can move through that process at your own pace, starting with something free and low-pressure, and only paying for more depth once you know it is worth it.
Explore is that starting point. It is the free tier on NeuroCheck Pro: a set of short, validated questionnaires that take a few minutes to complete and cost nothing. It will not tell you whether you or your child has a condition, but it will give you an honest, evidence-based read on whether a fuller assessment is worth pursuing, and it is designed so that answer is genuinely useful, not just reassuring.
What Explore actually does
Explore is a screen, not a diagnosis. You answer a set of short, validated questionnaires; we score them using the same methods used in clinical research; and we tell you whether your answers suggest it is worth looking further. If they do, we point you towards Understand and Confirm, the two paid tiers where that deeper look happens.
We built Explore around the conditions that show up alongside ADHD and autism just as often as the core traits do: low mood, anxiety, sleep problems, and more. Catching these early matters, and a free, low-effort screen is the right way to do it.
What we screen for: adults (18+)
Explore covers eleven themes for adults, each built on a validated instrument:
| Theme | Instrument | What it screens for |
|---|---|---|
| Attention and focus (ADHD) | ASRS v1.1 Part A | Adult ADHD |
| Social and communication (autism) | AQ-10 | Adult autism traits |
| Mood, anxiety and OCD | PHQ-9, GAD-7, OCI-R | Depression, anxiety, OCD |
| Trauma and stress | PC-PTSD-5 | PTSD |
| Mood patterns | MDQ | Bipolar-type mood swings |
| Eating and body image | SCOFF | Eating difficulties |
| Alcohol and substance use | AUDIT-C, DAST-10 | Substance use risk |
| Learning (dyslexia) | Vinegrad or ARHQ | Dyslexia traits |
| Sleep | STOP-Bang, Sleep Condition Indicator | Sleep apnoea, sleep quality |
| Body and movement (hypermobility) | 5PQ, Beighton score | Hypermobility |
| Autonomic symptoms (POTS / dysautonomia) | COMPASS-31 | Autonomic dysfunction |
Every theme above is available to adults. You do not need to pick just one; Explore lets you work through whichever themes feel relevant to you.
What we screen for: children and young people (5 to 17)
We only put a theme in front of a child's parent or carer if there is a properly validated instrument built for that age group. Where the only validated tool is an adult one, we leave it out rather than run something that was not designed for children. That is why the child list is shorter than the adult one, and it will grow as more validated child instruments are confirmed.
Right now, Explore covers six themes for children, completed by a parent, carer or teacher:
| Theme | Instrument | What it screens for |
|---|---|---|
| Attention and focus (ADHD) | Vanderbilt or SNAP-IV | Child ADHD |
| Social and communication (autism) | AQ-Child | Child autism traits |
| Mood and wellbeing | PHQ-A, SCARED | Adolescent depression and anxiety |
| Trauma and stress | CPSS-5 | Child PTSD |
| Mood patterns | P-MDQ | Paediatric bipolar-type mood swings |
| Body and movement (hypermobility) | Age-adjusted Beighton score | Hypermobility |
Learning, standalone OCD, sleep and autonomic screens stay adult-only until a validated child version is confirmed. If your child shows signs in one of those areas, our safety and GP-routing guidance still applies; we just will not run a branded test that is not built for their age.
What a positive screen means, and what it does not
A positive result on Explore means one thing: it may be worth looking further. It does not mean you or your child has a condition, and we are careful never to frame it that way. Explore is deliberately light-touch; it exists to route you, not to characterise or confirm anything.
The value proposition: where diagnosis actually happens
Explore itself never diagnoses, and it is not meant to. Its job is to be the free, no-risk front door: quick enough that anyone can try it, and accurate enough that a positive result is worth acting on.
If Explore flags something, here is where that leads:
- Understand (£29.99 paid) takes you through the full validated battery for your result, plus a cognitive performance battery, and gives you a detailed screening report; still not a diagnosis, but far more evidence to work with, and something concrete to bring to a clinician.
- Confirm (paid) is where an actual clinical diagnosis is made, through a video consultation with a qualified clinician who reviews your full results and, where needed, runs a structured diagnostic interview.
Every question you answer in Explore carries forward. If you move on to Understand or Confirm, you never redo a screen you have already completed.
Getting started
Explore is free, takes about ten to fifteen minutes depending on which themes you choose, and is available now on the NeuroCheck Pro app and at neurocheckpro.com/screener. There is no commitment, and no obligation to continue if the result does not suggest you need to.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NeuroCheck Pro Explore tier?
Explore is NeuroCheck Pro's free first-step screening tier. It uses short, validated screeners across ADHD, autism, mood, anxiety, OCD, trauma, sleep, substance use, dyslexia, hypermobility and POTS/dysautonomia for adults, and a smaller set of validated instruments for children aged 5 to 17. Explore does not produce a diagnosis; a positive result routes the user to the paid Understand or Confirm tiers.
How long does Explore take?
Most adults complete Explore in 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how many of the eleven themes they choose. There is no time limit and no account is required to start.
Is Explore a diagnostic assessment?
No. Explore is a screen, not a diagnosis. It uses the same scoring methods used in clinical research and is designed to answer one question: is a fuller assessment worth pursuing? A formal diagnosis requires a clinician-administered structured interview, which is what happens in the Confirm tier.
What happens to my answers if I move to Understand or Confirm?
Everything you complete in Explore carries forward. If you upgrade to Understand or Confirm, you never redo a screen you have already completed, and the next tier sees the full Explore picture alongside its own battery.
Is Explore suitable for children?
Yes, with a parent, carer or teacher completing the questionnaires on the child's behalf. Explore for children currently covers six themes where a validated age-appropriate instrument exists (ADHD via Vanderbilt or SNAP-IV, autism via AQ-Child, mood via PHQ-A and SCARED, trauma via CPSS-5, mood patterns via P-MDQ, hypermobility via the age-adjusted Beighton score). Other themes are kept adult-only until a validated child version is confirmed.
Sources and references
- World Health Organization. Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1).
- Baron-Cohen S, et al. Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10).
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).
- Spitzer RL, et al. Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7).
- Foa EB, et al. Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R).
- Prins A, et al. Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5).
- Hirschfeld RMA, et al. Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ).
- Morgan JF, et al. SCOFF questionnaire.
- Saunders JB, et al. AUDIT-C; Skinner HA. DAST-10.
- STOP-Bang Questionnaire; Sleep Condition Indicator.
- CompASS-31 (Sletten et al., autonomic symptom profile).
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NG87: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). CG113: Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder.
Important: Explore is a screening tool, not a diagnostic assessment. The screeners used in Explore are validated for research and clinical use, but a positive Explore result does not constitute a diagnosis. Diagnostic decisions for ADHD, autism, and related conditions require a qualified clinician, a clinical interview, and a review of your full history. If you are in crisis, contact Samaritans on 116 123 (UK and ROI), NHS 111, or your local emergency service.
Important
This article is for information and is not a diagnostic assessment. Recognising signs of autism or ADHD does not constitute a diagnosis. A formal diagnosis requires a qualified clinician, a clinical interview and a review of full history. If you or someone you care for is struggling to cope or in crisis, contact Samaritans on 116 123 (UK and ROI), NHS 111, or your local emergency service.