ADHD Assessment for Adults

Neurodiversity-Affirming ADHD Assessment 

In recent years, the field of psychology has started reckoning with the fact that we have truly underserved generations of ADHD people, especially those who didn’t look like the 10-year-old hyperactive boy who can’t seem to stay in his seat in math class. (And we’ve underserved those kids and adults, too!)

The traditional paradigm of ADHD research, assessment, and “treatment” has often overlooked people, especially women, who tend to present with more inattentive traits, who internalize their ADHD, or who make efforts to hide and minimize their traits because they’ve been criticized for them in the past. People like:

  • The daydreamy, creative, chatty-Kathy teen girl who is bright and hardworking, but always struggles with lost and late assignments; 

  • The overwhelmed, scattered, forgetful mom who feels like she lives life on “hard-mode,” has always been told she “has so much potential,” and whose young son was recently diagnosed with ADHD;

  • The successful yet anxious professional who, through sheer will and perfectionism, manages to put on a good performance at work, but behind the scenes is chronically disorganized, feels constantly restless in their body, experiences soul-crushing rejection at the slightest criticism, and who hasn’t found much relief from anxiety treatments. 

Some traits common among ADHD people include (click below to expand):

  • You may struggle to stay focused on tasks, especially those that are mundane or repetitive, leading to frequent daydreaming or mind-wandering. You get distracted by your own thoughts in conversations, leading you to miss what someone said to you. 

  • While sometimes you can’t seem to stay on task if your life depended on it, you can also become intensely absorbed in activities you find interesting, sometimes to the detriment of other important tasks. Hours can pass by while you're doing something creative and you genuinely forget to eat, stretch, drink water, or use the bathroom.

  • You consistently delay tasks until the last minute, often resulting in stress and rushed work. Think late assignments, pulling all-nighters well past your college days, and an embarrassing pile of past-due parking tickets on your dresser (perhaps under a heap of not-quite-clean, not-quite-dirty clothes). Or alternatively, perhaps you live with high levels of anxiety that enable you to get things done, but also leave you feeling chronically exhausted and overwhelmed.

  • You find it challenging to keep track of personal items, maintain a tidy space, manage time effectively, or remember appointments. Or, interestingly, you may sometimes find the opposite: you’re naturally disorganized, but you have developed rigid systems so you don’t lose or forget important items; you live and die by your Google Calendar; and you’re chronically early because the thought of being late makes you so anxious. 

  • You feel easily overwhelmed by complex or long tasks that require multiple steps, leading to avoidance or incomplete projects. You have a really hard time knowing where to start, so you just put it off, even if it’s a project you actually enjoy once you get into the flow.

  • You experience heightened emotional responses, including being easily frustrated, upset, or excited, and as a kid (and maybe still), you were often labeled as "too emotional" or “too sensitive” by others. You may also feel intense, crushing shame and rejection at even the slightest criticism or constructive feedback.

  • You frequently forget appointments, deadlines, or important details, despite efforts to remember them.

  • You have difficulty keeping up with conversations, often missing cues or interrupting others unintentionally.

  • You feel a constant sense of inner restlessness or agitation, either physical, mental, or both, even if you are not outwardly hyperactive. Your brain just never shuts off, constantly bouncing from one thought to the next, especially when you have to sit for awhile.

  • You put extra effort into appearing organized, calm, and attentive, often leading to significant mental and emotional exhaustion. The Nike slogan is basically on repeat in your head all day ("Just do it!"), even for tasks that are easy for others. Burnout is something you know all too well. You’ve read all the books and podcasts on productivity and organization, but the tools and systems aren’t sustainable for you. Even with great effort, you can do them for a while, but you always revert back to a state of chronic overwhelm or exhaustion.

  • You’ve been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or both, but your symptoms don’t seem to improve with anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications, and years of therapy only helped with some things, despite trying multiple therapists and therapy modalities. 

If reading the above list makes you feel understood, it may be time to look into an ADHD assessment. 

FAQs About Assessments

  • The answer to this is highly individual and depends on your history, your goals, and how you plan to use the information in the assessment.

    ADHD and Autism co-occur at high rates; specifically, recent studies suggest that about 30-65% of ADHDers are also autistic, and about 22-83% of Autistic people also meet criteria for ADHD.

    Sometimes, people seek out an assessment mostly focused on one or the other, without realizing how much overlap and co-occurrence there is, and they would really benefit from looking at both.

    Other people come to me already diagnosed with ADHD or Autism and want to be assessed for the other. And sometimes, it simply doesn't feel like a high priority for some people to explore both at the same time, and that's okay.

    My opinion is that being assessed for both gives the most thorough and comprehensive picture, but I won't push it on you.

    We can discuss the details of this in our consultation call.

    • Multiple clinical interviews via telehealth

    • A clinical interview about you with a loved one (partner, parent, close friend), if possible (not required) 

    • Several self-report questionnaires that you will fill out

    • Report questionnaires for a loved one (partner, parent, close friend) to fill out about you, if possible

    • Includes sensory profile assessment 

    • Includes screening for ADHD (does not include full ADHD diagnosis)

    • Detailed diagnostic report (15+ pages) with testing results, summary of findings, and personalized recommendations 

    • 1-hour feedback session via telehealth

    • Multiple clinical interviews via telehealth

    • A clinical interview about you with a loved one (partner, parent, close friend), if possible (not required) 

    • Several self-report questionnaires that you will fill out

    • Report questionnaires for a loved one (partner, parent, close friend) to fill out about you, if possible

    • Includes sensory profile assessment 

    • Includes executive functioning assessment

    • Includes screening for autism (does not include full autism diagnosis)

    • Detailed diagnostic report (15+ pages) with testing results, summary of findings, and personalized recommendations 

    • 1-hour feedback session via telehealth

    • Multiple clinical interviews via telehealth

    • Two clinical interviews about you with a loved one (partner, parent, close friend), if possible (not required) 

    • Several self-report questionnaires that you will fill out

    • Report questionnaires for a loved one (partner, parent, close friend) to fill out about you, if possible

    • Includes sensory profile assessment 

    • Includes executive functioning assessment

    • Detailed diagnostic report (20+ pages) with testing results, summary of findings, and personalized recommendations 

    • 1-hour feedback session via telehealth

    1. You email me to inquire about an assessment.

    2. I will answer any initial questions you have via email, share my availability or waitlist, and schedule a free 20 minute phone consultation call with you.

    3. We'll have a ~20 minute phone call. You'll share about your goals and hopes, and we'll talk about which assessment option is right for you. I'll tell you a little more about me, the process, and what to expect, and I'll answer any questions you have.

    4. We'll each decide if I'm a good fit for the kind of assessment you need.

    5. If we agree to move forward, we'll schedule and complete the first interview, and follow-up interviews.

    6. I'll send you several self-report questionnaires to fill out.

    7. If applicable, I'll include your loved one in the process (such as your partner or parent), with an interview and questionnaires for them too.

    8. Once I've gathered all the information I need, I'll work on organizing and analyzing the data, and writing your detailed report.

    9. I'll share the report with you, and we'll have a 1-hour feedback session to go over your results together.

  • Autism Assessment: $1,800

    ADHD Assessment: $1,800

    Autism and ADHD Assessment: $2,500

    Please inquire about payment plans if needed.

  • I am out-of-network with all insurance providers. You may be able to seek reimbursement from your insurance company for some, but not all, of the autism/ADHD assessment fee. I am happy to provide a superbill. See my Fees page for more information about superbills and out-of-network insurance benefits.

  • As a licensed therapist with a Master’s degree, I can provide you with a formal diagnosis of autism, ADHD, or both, and a detailed diagnostic report containing statistical data from your testing results and personalized recommendations for your wellbeing and growth going forward.

    My assessments CAN be used for:

    • Personal clarification, confidence in self-diagnosis, and education

    • Your care team’s understanding of you (such as your therapist)

    • May be accepted by some workplaces or universities for accommodations

    • May be accepted by some doctors or NPs in order to prescribe you ADHD medication, if indicated and desired

    I cannot guarantee that a particular workplace, school, or doctor will accept my diagnosis as a Licensed Professional Counselor. If you have questions about this, we can discuss in a free consultation call to decide if I'm the right fit for your needs.

  • Some settings may not accept my (or another Master's level therapist) diagnosis in order for you to receive support and services, and sometimes require certain tests that only a doctorate-level provider can perform (such as cognitive or neuropsychological testing by a psychologist or neuropsychologist).

    These include:

    • Some universities and workplaces

    • Disability claims

    • Social security benefits

    • Legal cases

    If you’re primarily seeking diagnosis so you can apply for SSDI benefits, to see if you have a learning disability like dyslexia, or for school accommodations, I recommend you seek an assessment by a doctorate-level psychologist and am happy to provide some referrals.

    I do not provide neuropsychological testing, cognitive (IQ) testing, projective testing, or testing for learning disabilities as these tests are outside of my scope of practice. If you suspect that additional complex neurological factors, such as traumatic brain injury, fetal alcohol spectrum conditions, or other differential diagnoses could be at play, I'd recommend you work with a neuropsychologist.

    I do not prescribe medications or provide other medical advice as these services are outside my scope of practice as a therapist.

Not quite needing a formal diagnostic assessment?

I also offer one-off Neurodivergence Discovery Consultation sessions.

  • One 90-minute session via telehealth 

  • We will discuss your specific questions about neurodivergence, either for yourself or a loved one

  • Does not include a diagnosis

  • I will provide a list of resources and recommendations 

  • $300 total