Table 1 Questions asked in the survey, arranged according to the three topics

Diagnostic procedure of ADHD (closed questions)

• “For what reasons do the children come to you? Who initiated the assessment?”

[Responses: never or almost never – rarely – at times – often – always or almost always; cannot say]

 o The child wants it.

 o The parents want it.

 o The school is sending it.

 o The school psychological services sent it.

 o Another person is sending it.

• “How often do you act as follows if you suspect ADHD during an initial consultation”

[Responses: 0% - 1-20% - 21-40% - 41-60% - 61-80% - 81-100%; cannot say]

 o I talk with parents about the home, school and wellbeing of the child.

 o I talk to the child about the home, school and his or her well-being.

 o I wait for the explicit wish of the parents before I take action

 o I seek information from additional sources (e.g., school,other environment, ...).

 o I arrange a second appointment, so I can conduct a systematic clarification myself.

 o I refer the patient to a specialized person to carry out a systematic clarification.

• “How many appointments do you usually schedule for the diagnosis?”

[Responses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, > 5]

• “How many appointments take place with the child?”

[Responses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, > 5]

• “Do you use screening questionnaires?” [during the diagnostic process for ADHD]

[Responses: Yes, No]

Treatment of ADHD (closed questions)

• “What information about ADHD do you usually give parents/children when ADHD is diagnosed?”

[Responses: one check box for each answer, multiple responses possible]

 o I do not provide any further information about the disease.

 o I provide general information about the about the disorder.

 o General brochures on AD(H)S

 o Brochures/information on coaching possibilities, psychological counseling centers, psychotherapy

 o Brochures/information on educational consultations

 o Brochures/information on training possibilities/offers

 o Brochures/information on patient organizations

 o Brochures/information on psychotherapy

 o Brochures/information on drug treatment

 o Brochures/information on the multimodal treatment concept

 o Occupational therapy

 o Family therapy

 o Psychomotor therapy

 o Other information

• “In case of a diagnosis of ADHD, how often do you inform about the following forms of therapy?”

[Responses: never – rarely – at times – often – always; not applicable, cannot say]

 o Multimodal treatment

 o Drug treatment

 o Psychotherapy

 o Educational counseling

 o Occupational therapy

 o Physiotherapy

 o Family therapy

 o Psychomotor therapy

 o Others, namely:

• “How often do you discuss different treatment options with the following people?”

[Responses: never – rarely – at times – often – always; not applicable, cannot say]

 o Parents

 o Children 4–5 years

 o Children 6–8 years

 o Children 9–11 years

 o Children 12–14 years

 o Teenagers 15–18 years

 o Teacher

 o Other persons, namely:

• “How does the child’s level of suffering have an impact on your choice of therapy?”

[Responses: very little –little – moderate – much – very much; not applicable, cannot say]

• “To what extent do you take the opinions of the following people into account when deciding on treatment?”

[Responses: very little –little – moderate – much – very much; not applicable, cannot say]

 o Children 4–5 years

 o Children 6–8 years

 o Children 9–11 years

 o Children 12–14 years

 o Teenagers 15–18 years

 o Parents

 o Teacher

 o School psychologist

 o Attending physician (i.e., you)

 o Other persons, namely:

Challenges in diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in pediatric practice (open-ended questions)

• “Current guidelines provide for multimodal therapy. In your view, what are the three biggest challenges in implementing the

multimodal therapy concept?”

• “In your opinion, what are the three biggest challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD?”

• “In which areas would you like more support/further training?”