Adult Neurodiversity Assessments (ADHD & Autism)

Our in-depth adult ADHD and autism assessments are designed to explore your sensory, cognitive, and socio-emotional profile in detail, and to determine whether your experiences align with autism, ADHD and/or related diagnoses. We will also assess for common co-occurring conditions such as mood disorders, anxiety, OCD or trauma that may contribute to the clinical presentation.

Together, we will conduct an in-depth exploration of different areas of your life and history, taking care to identify both strengths and areas of challenge. The assessment evaluates whether diagnostic criteria are met, while exploring the impacts of being undiagnosed and how this may have shaped your life experiences.

Our goal is to help you gain an understanding of your profile, empowering you with insights and recommendations tailored to your needs.

We offer assessment services for adolescents and adults aged 16+.

Our approach to assessment aims to be neurodiversity-affirming and non-pathologizing: we recognize and celebrate each individual's set of experiences as a normal part of the diversity of human existence.

What makes our assessments different

Because we rely so heavily on interviewing, our assessments tend involve more face-to-face time than many other assessment models. The advantage is that we may explore more of your experiences this way, which can allow you gain helpful insights and provide a unique opportunity to take an in-depth look at your life experiences. In our experience, this approach is also helpful in accurately diagnosing individuals who are very high masking and those who present with complex profiles where co-occuring conditions may mask each other or create in atypical presentations. The main disadvantage is that this type of assessment is more time- and resource-intensive than an assessment that relies more heavily on other tools.

We don't believe in just "checking boxes" to arrive at a diagnosis. We believe an assessment should be an opportunity to take stock and find words for your complex life experiences. Because neurodivergence (late-identified neurodivergence especially) rarely exists alone, we also take the time to fully assess and diagnose any co-occuring conditions that might contribute to how you experience the world.

Our assessments are completed over the course of several sessions lasting 60-120 minutes each, and spread across a few weeks. You can expect us to spend between 5-8 hours in conversation together.

Neurodiversity Assessment FAQ

Do you use tests like the ADOS-2 or ADI-R?

No. I do not use these tests in my practice, because they are widely considered not to be neurodiversity-affirming, and because they may not capture the complexity of experiences of high-masking individuals.

How long does the assessment process take?

The length of the assessment depends on a variety of factors, including how frequently we schedule assessment sessions. I will try my best to adjust to your needs and preferences. It could be a couple of weeks, or a couple of months.

What is included in the cost?

An assessment involves many hours of work in the background, in addition to session time. The cost covers an unlimited number of face-to-face session time necessary to complete the assessment, hours spent scoring, interpreting and organizing data, and report- or letter-writing.

What if I'm not sure it's worth investing in a full assessment?

This is exactly what the initial screening session is designed for! You can meet with Dr. Melodie to discuss your current life context and concerns. During this session, she will take care to note any "flags" that align with experiences of neurodivergence and give you an honest opinion as to the likelihood that you might receive a diagnosis if you were to pursue a full assessment. You can also use this time together to discuss the pros and cons of pursuing the assessment.

What if I just want to confirm a diagnosis of ADHD or autism?

If you are not seeking a full comprehensive assessment as described above, we can offer you a targeted assessment that aims to clarify whether you meet criteria for a specific diagnosis, whether that is ADHD, autism, or another diagnosis.

Cost

Comprehensive neurodiversity assessments are priced as a package:

Including a full assessment report: $4000
Including a diagnostic letter: $3750

The initial session screening is priced at $390 for a 90-minute session, and is deducted from the total assessment rate should you decide to move forward with the assessment.

Process

Screening - An initial session is spent collecting information about the way your life looks currently, identifying areas to be explored in depth in later sessions. At the end of the screening session, we will give you an opinion as to whether an in-depth neurodiversity assessment might be warranted or not.
Interviewing - We will talk in detail about your history and experiences in various facets of your life. Our assessment leans most heavily on these interviews, as our goal is to understand your inner world as best as we can. Interviewing typically takes place over a few sessions.
Battery of questionnaires - We will send you several questionnaires to complete at home, in order to facilitate collecting information about different facets of your experience. This will help orient, streamline and complete the collection of information, complementing interviews.
Consultation with close others - People who know you closely can often be involved in the assessment process. They may be invited to participate in an interview and/or asked to fill out some questionnaires. This can be helpful in gaining a different perspective on your personality and behaviour.
Social cognition or cognitive performance tests - In some cases, it may be helpful to complete some tests in-session to help us better understand how your brain processes information.
Feedback session - At the end of the process, we will meet to review the findings from your psychological assessment. During this session, we will walk you through the data collected and conclusions, highlighting key insights about your strengths, challenges, and overall profile. We’ll discuss any diagnoses, if applicable, as well as explore how these findings relate to your experiences and goals.
Documentation - We will consolidate a summary of the assessment process, findings and recommendations into a report, summary or diagnostic letter that will be sent to you after the final payment has been received. This serves as an official record of the assessment process.

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