Informant report
Short answer
An informant report is information about you provided by someone who knows you well, such as a partner, parent, sibling or close friend. In adult ADHD evaluations, clinicians may ask permission to talk with such people or to have them fill in a questionnaire. It adds an outside view and childhood memories that self-report cannot supply, though it has its own blind spots.
Nobody sees themselves completely. An informant is someone who can describe what you are like from the outside, and sometimes what you were like as a child, before your own memories are reliable.
Who counts as an informant
- A partner or spouse who sees daily routines.
- A parent or older relative who remembers your childhood.
- A sibling who grew up alongside you.
- A close friend or longtime roommate.
The best informant depends on the question. A partner knows how mornings go now. A parent knows what school reports said decades ago.
Documents can play a similar role. Old school reports, teacher comments or performance reviews are a kind of written informant, recorded at the time rather than remembered later, and some clinicians find them helpful if they still exist.
What guidance says
What an outside view adds
Some behaviors are easier to see than to feel, like interrupting or losing track of time in conversation. Informants can also confirm whether a pattern goes back years, which matters because adult evaluations look for signs that began in childhood.
Its own blind spots
Informants see only part of your life. A parent may not know about work; a colleague knows nothing of your childhood. Relationships also color perception, and a frustrated partner may describe things differently on a hard week. Clinicians weigh informant reports alongside your own account rather than treating either as final.
Starting the conversation
Hypothetically, you might tell a sibling: I am looking into whether attention problems have followed me since childhood; what do you remember about me at school? Open questions like that invite real memories instead of yes or no answers.
Give the person time to think, and do not argue with what they remember. Their view does not have to match yours to be useful; differences are often exactly what a clinician wants to understand.
The ADHDFalcon screener is self-report only. Its official outcome reflects your answers alone, which is one more reason it is a starting point rather than an evaluation.
If nobody suitable is available, tell the clinician. Assessments still go ahead, and they can suggest other ways to fill in the history.
A starting point for your next step.
Take the screener for your own viewFrequently asked questions
Do I need an informant for an adult ADHD assessment?
Practices vary. NIMH and the NHS say clinicians may ask to talk with someone who knows you well. Ask the service what they need.
What if my parents are not available?
Other people who knew you as a child, old school reports, or a partner or friend for the present day may help. Tell the clinician what is available.
Can a partner fill in the ADHDFalcon screener for me?
No. It is a self-report screener meant to be answered by you about yourself.
Sources
Source check: 2026-10-28. No medical review has occurred.
- NIMH, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: What You Need to Know
- NHS, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults
- NICE guideline NG87, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management
Published 2026-10-28. Factual source check: ADHDFalcon editorial team, factual source check, 2026-10-28. No medical review has occurred.