First things to buy after an ADHD diagnosis

What should you buy after an ADHD diagnosis?

Very little at first. Most people leave the clinic with a diagnosis and a head full of ideas, and the temptation is to order a planner, a timer, noise-cancelling headphones and four books by the weekend. ADHD UK is blunt about what a diagnosis is: nothing has changed because of it, but you now have the knowledge, and what you do with it is up to you.

So the list below is short, cheap and ordered. Start with things that cost nothing, add one or two small buys, and wait before spending on anything you hope somebody else will pay for. We have not tested any of these products. They are everyday practical items, and none is a medical product or a fix for anything.

What is free and worth setting up first?

Three things cost nothing and are worth doing before you spend a pound.

Join a support group. ADHD UK runs them and recommends signing up to its newsletter, and the NHS ADHD page also points to ADHD Adult UK for peer support. Open Microsoft Edge and try Immersive Reader: press F9 on any page for read aloud, text spacing and line focus. And try Goblin Tools' Magic ToDo on one job you have been avoiding. The site says it is kept free by sponsors, though it also has a Pro page, so read what you are agreeing to.

Free tools tell you what you actually like, which makes the paid ones easier to choose. If you use none of them after a fortnight, that is useful information too, and it saves you buying the paid version of something that never suited you.

Which small things are worth buying?

A visual timer, a key finder and a list pad are the three cheap buys that come up most, and each solves a single practical problem.

A visual timer shows time passing instead of asking you to read it. The Time Timer Original 8 inch is the classic: a red disc that shrinks, 19cm square, up to 60 minutes, silent while it runs, with an optional alert at the end. It takes 2 AA batteries, which are not included. Our visual timers guide compares cheaper ones.

A key finder is for things that go missing. The Chipolo ONE rings at about 120dB, takes a replaceable CR2032 battery, and runs through Chipolo's own app on iPhone (iOS 17 and later) or Android (12 and later). It is not an Apple Find My tracker. If you use an iPhone and want Find My, our key finders guide covers the alternatives.

A list pad is for the paperwork that never gets done. Papier's Life Admin List Notepad is £12. It is a plain tear-off pad for bills, forms and calls. The page does not give its size or sheet count, so a cheap notepad does the same job if you would rather not spend the money.

Is a book worth buying now?

One is enough for the first month, and one you can dip into suits better than one you have to finish. Leanne Maskell's ADHD: An A-Z is organised by letter, so you can open it at whatever is biting that day. It is published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Our late-diagnosis books guide has more options if one book is not enough.

What should you hold off buying?

Hold off on anything for work or study that someone else might pay for. Access to Work is a government grant that can pay for specialist equipment, assistive software and support workers, and GOV.UK says you do not have to repay it. You do not need a formal diagnosis to apply, you must be 16 or over, and you must live and work in England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland has a separate system.

GOV.UK also says Access to Work does not pay for reasonable adjustments, which are changes your employer must make. If you are a student, Disabled Students' Allowance works the same way: wait for the assessment before you buy equipment.

Headphones, apps with subscriptions and expensive planners are the usual pull. They can wait a month. If you are still wanting them in four weeks, that is a better sign than the week-one impulse.

What about medication and clinical follow-up?

That is for your specialist and GP, not for a shopping list. The NHS says ADHD medicines are started and monitored by a specialist, and a GP can take over prescribing only under a shared care agreement. ADHD UK says shared care is solely the GP's decision, and that most Right to Choose providers keep prescribing if a GP declines, though a small number need shared care, so ask your provider.

If you have questions about your own health after diagnosis, ask the specialist or your GP. The NHS also says that if ADHD is affecting your studies, work or relationships, a GP appointment is the way into assessment, so that route stays open whenever you need it again.

Things to know

• Prices change. Prices are from our product list at the time of writing. The Papier price and the Chipolo specs were read off the maker's page; the Chipolo page did not show a price.
• The Time Timer maker's page was sold out when we looked. The price in our list is from a UK retailer.
• We could not confirm everything. We did not find a book page we could read on the day, so the book's price comes from our own product list rather than a live retailer check.