I offer neurodiversity-affirming assessments for autism and ADHD. The goal of the assessment is to see if the experiences you are having and differences you notice map onto the DSM-5-TR criteria for autism and/or ADHD. If your experiences can be mapped onto the DSM-5-TR criteria, then you can be identified as autistic or/and someone who has ADHD.

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As a clinician, I support self-identification (self-diagnosis). However, many people need a formal diagnosis to get medication prescribed, access accommodations, and for other access reasons. Many people also feel that a formal diagnosis based on standardized tests performed by a qualified clinician is highly validating.  They feel more confident discussing their diagnosis with their families, friends, and providers. A good assessment can also offer a way to better understand yourself as a neurodivergent person. It can identify accommodations and lifestyle changes that can be helpful. Below in the FAQ section, you will find descriptions of different assessments I offer and how they can support your goals.

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Unfortunately, many people go through assessments that they experience as traumatic and pathologizing. Some assessors have outdated views of autism and ADHD, use pathologizing deficit-based language, or do not offer accommodations. As a result of that process, even if someone is identified as autistic or an ADHD-er, the person might end up feeling dismissed, not seen, judged, pathologized, and often traumatized.

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I offer an assessment process that feels respectful, accommodating, helpful, and supportive. Using clinical interviews, self-report measures, and accounts from people who know you, we explore your unique way of experiencing and being in the world in a respectful, affirming way.

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I center learning about your internal experiences, the often elaborate strategies you use to compensate, and the systems you have put in place to meet the demands and expectations of the world around you. I look for mismatches between your needs and the environments you live in, such as family, work, school, etc.. Not having adequate supports at home, in school, or at work can result in challenges and struggles. Together, we work collaboratively to identify and understand your differences, create a cohesive clinical picture of your unique way of being in the world, and identify potential supports and resources. 

 

As much as possible, I use measures and tools designed specifically to assess neurodivergent people. However, there are not enough validated standardized measures/tests designed for this purpose. As a result, I use some standardized measures that compare you to neurotypical people. I interpret those measures to describe you as an individual. I do not treat neurotypical norms as a gold standard. Rather, I describe your way of being in the world, seeing it as valid and valuable.

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Please read carefully the information in the FAQ section. I am including it here to answer your questions about the evaluation process, its validity, my experience, and how to choose between the different types of assessments that I provide. Please use the information below to make an informed decision about what assessment would best meet your needs.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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How am I qualified to assess for autism or ADHD?

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Many different professionals are qualified to diagnose autism and ADHD. My training in developmental psychology (PhD) and mental health counseling (MA), combined with being licensed as a counselor, allow me to assess and make diagnoses. I have worked with autistic children and children who have ADHD, as well as other neurodevelopmental differences, for the past 15 years.

 

I have taken training courses specifically on identifying autism and ADHD in children in adults from two different autistic + ADHD evaluators to learn about the neuroaffirming assessment process, and about assessing difficult-to-diagnose groups, such as those who are high masking, assigned female at birth, BIPOC, as well as gender non-conforming, gender-diverse, and trans individuals. I have been trained by Dr. Marylin Monteiro to assess children and adults using MIGDAS-2, a neuroaffirming sensory-based assessment for autism. MIGDAS-2 is only one of the many tools I use, but it is unique in that it is created specifically with a neuroaffirming lens in mind. 

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Do I assess adults as well as children?

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I am currently only offering adult assessments. However, I plan to start offering assessments to children in the near future, most likely, in the summer 2025. If you are interested  in a neuroaffirming autism or ADHD assessment for a child, please feel free to get on my wait list and I will be in touch as soon as I start assessing children. 

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How is my assessment different from a neuropsychological evaluation?

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First of all, only a neuropsychologist can conduct a neuropsychological evaluation. I am not a neuropsychologist. Neuropsychological evaluation will often include standardized measures in areas such as language, fine motor skills, academic skills, and learning style. My assessment is only intended to identify autism and/or ADHD. I developed my assessment process specifically to meet that need. For those who need more information on their learning style, memory, and information processing, I offer an optional IQ test.

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It is difficult to find an adult neuropsychologist to assess neurodivergent adults through a neuroaffirming process and through the neuroaffirming lens. This is especially true for those folks who are AFAB, high-masking, gender non-conforming, gender-diverse, trans, and BIPOC. Neuropsychological evaluations for adults still are mostly conducted within a medical model from a deficit-based perspective. It can be a difficult experience to go through. At the same time, it can be a fit for many reasons, including mutliple co-occurring conditions that need to  be ruled in or out, and other complex profiles. 

 

In the end, the scope of my assessment and the knowledge base I work from is different from that of a neuropsychologist. The information I provide in this section is intended to help you make a decision on the type of evaluation that would best serve your purposes. 

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What happens if I cannot identify you as autistic, and/or someone who has ADHD?

 

People who do not meet DSM-5-TR criteria for a specific diagnosis can still experience mismatches between their needs and their environments. They can still struggle. In the feedback session, I will go over the assessment results with you in detail and explain how they do or do not map onto the DSM-5-TR criteria. Even if you cannot be identified as autistic and/or ADHD-er based on the current criteria, the assessment can offer a lot of helpful insights into the way you function in the world, and into strategies, lifestyle changes, and supports that can be helpful. Please remember that DSM-5-TR is an imperfect tool. It reflects the way the medical field currently identifies and conceptualizes neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. The state-of-the-art knowledge is ever-growing and developing. Its current state is admittedly imperfect, but it is what we have to work with. 

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Can you get accommodations during the assessment process?

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Yes. My intake form has a space for you to let me know what accommodations you need. I might reach out to you for clariications. 

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Can you use your insurance to cover the assessment?

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I do not accept insurance. I want to have the complete freedom to conduct an assessment in a neuroaffirming way and be able to adjust it to your needs. I also want to include all relevant information and recommendations in the report. I do not feel comfortable submitting the report with all this highly sensitive and personal information to a third-party gatekeeper. Once you have the report, you can choose who you share all of it or part of it with. 

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What is my assessment process?

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Step 1: Intake Form, Other Relevant Information, and Self-Report Questionnaires. 

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Once you are scheduled for the assessment, you will receive a link to fill out an intake form and complete self-report questionnaires. 

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My intake form is very detailed and takes time to fill out.  If you are providing a lot of written information within the form, I would suggest that you write it outside of the platform that the form is housed in, so that you do not lose any information if the platform times out. In addition to the intake form, you can send me any additional information you like via HIPAA compliant email. Helpful information includes childhood academic and special education records, childhood records reflecting your development and functioning, previous evaluations, any other historical records, work-related performance reviews, etc. You are welcome to share any information that you consider relevant and that you would want me to review. 

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Step 2: Scheduling the Interview.

 

Because I absolutely need to have reviewed the intake information before we meet, I will wait for you to complete the intake process before scheduling the interview. 

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Step 3: Interview.

 

The interview can be conducted online (MA, VT, ME) or in person (MA). I schedule 2 hours for ADHD only and autism only assessments, and 3 hours for a combined assessment. The interview is scheduled as one block.

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Step 4: Collaterals and Optional Additional Information.

 

In this step, I will contact your collaterals for interviews and will also send them links to fill out standardized assessments. Also in this step, if needed, I will send you additional self-report measures for you to fill out. I allot 1 hour for collateral interviews.

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Step 5: Feedback session.

 

The 50-minute feedback session is conducted online. I will go over the assessment results with you, explain my diagnostic decision, and answer your questions. 

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Step 6 :The Report.

 

You will be emailed a report to document the assessment. Two different available report formats are explained above in the section on reports. The abbreviated report takes about 30 minutes to write. The long form report takes 3 hours to write for autism only or ADHD only assessment, and takes about 5 hours to write for a combined assessment. 

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Step 7 (Optional and not included in the assessment fee):

 

Some people take time to process the report and feel the need to have more questions answered, or some aspects of the report explained in more detail. I offer for-fee consultations for those clients who would like to do this.  Some clients schedule soon after the assessment, some come back in a few months, depending on need. These consultations are billed at an hourly rate of $260 an hour. 

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What information is included in the report?

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I have two format options for the report. 

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Abbreviated Report

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This is a very short 1-2 page report, more of a clinical summary, that states the DSM-5-TR diagnosis (or diagnoses) you have been given, sources of information such as previous evaluations and collateral interviews, and the standardized measures used to make the diagnosis (or diagnoses). This report works well for those looking to receive the diagnosis only for the reason of accessing medication management, accessing some other benefits, or to validate of self-identification (self-diagnosis). This report does not include a detailed summary of the scores received on various measures. It also does not include a detailed  summary of the person’s profile of strengths and challenges, a description of how person's diagnosis is connected to their way of being in the world, how the person’s experiences are connected to specific scores, and what accommodations and lifestyle changes might be helpful. Having an option for this short report allows you a less costly assessment if you are only looking for a “yes” or “no” answer about the diagnoses of autism and/or ADHD. 

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Long-form Report

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This is a detailed report that can be 10-20 pages long that includes a summary of childhood and current experiences relevant to making the diagnosis (diagnoses).  It includes scores received on all standardized measures. It also includes an interpretive section discussing what all this information means in terms of client's experience in the world, a section describing how the client's traits and processing style are helpful or unhelpful in the environments that the client finds themselves in, and a section on needed accommodations, suggested lifestyle changes, and recommendations for services.

 

This report works well for those looking to gain deep self-understanding as neurodivergent individuals. The report will not only include information about your neurodivergent traits as identified by the assessment. It will also include possible conditions and issues to explore to understand yourself better and be able to make life adjustments needed to live better as a neurodivergent individual.

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This report is also recommended for those looking for accommodations in school, college, or workplace. It will contain a list of recommended accommodations, as well as the rationale for recommending them based on the assessment results. 

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This report can be helpful if you are planning to engage in therapy or other supportive services, as it will contain a rich description of issues related to the diagnosis (or diagnoses) you receive that might require support and specific therapeutic approaches. 

 

This report takes about 3-hours to write for autism only and ADHD only assessments, and it takes 5 hours to write for a combined autism and ADHD assessment. It adds a cost to the assessment fee to reflect this additional work. 

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What is a collateral?

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A collateral is a person who knows you well, preferably since childhood, who can provide information that will add to what you remember about yourself as a child and what you tell me about your current experiences.

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What if you do not have a collateral?

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This is a common concern. For many late-identified adults, their parents and other family members who knew them as children are no longer alive. They might also struggle to communicate with their families or be estranged. Some alternative possible collaterals are siblings, childhood friends or classmates that you are still close with, teachers, spouses, or partners in relationships. While some of these individuals will not have known you as a child, they will be able to speak to how they see you deal with your life and the world in general. This information will be helpful. In the rare cases when no collateral is available, or a client is absolutely unwilling to include a collateral, I will reflect this information in the report, and will base my diagnostic decision on the information available to me. 

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How to know if you should add cognitive (IQ) testing?

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Cognitive (IQ) testing is not required to identify/diagnose autism and/or ADHD. However, this testing is very helpful if you would like to get recommendations on accommodations in learning and work environments. Knowing your cognitive profile allows me to understand how well you process verbal and non-verbal information such as numbers and symbols, how quickly you process information, and how good your memory is. If needed, I can then recommend accommodations that support any areas of identified challenges. 

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Will I be re-evaluating the diagnoses you have received in the past from previous evaluators, such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, OCD, etc.?

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I will review your past evaluations as apart of this assessment. I will not be re-evaluating your past diagnoses. If you are specifically looking for someone to re-evaluate your past diagnoses, a neuropsychological evaluation is a better fit. 

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Will I make diagnoses other than autism and ADHD?

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Most of the time, I focus only on identifying autism and ADHD. I routinely assess for possible co-occurring conditions, but I will not make a specific diagnosis. For example, I might identify anxiety as an issue to consider, but will not make a diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder. 

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How much time does it take me as an evaluator to complete an assessment?

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It takes 6-7 hours to complete all steps of the assessment for either autism or ADHD with an abbreviated report. It takes an additional 3 hours to write a long-form report.

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It takes 8-9 hours to complete all steps of an assessment for both autism and ADHD with an abbreviated report. It takes an additional 5 hours to write a long-form report.

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What is the cost of the assessment, and how is it calculated?

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I bill for the assessments as a flat fee. The cost of the assessment is calculated based on the average number of hours it takes me to complete it. The approximate numbers of hours are listed above. Additionally, the costs of assessment forms and scoring are also included in the fee. 

 

*** Please note that the fees listed here are subject to change based on changes in my assessment process and other factors. If there is a change to the fees, it will be posted here. I will also notify my entire waitlist of any changes. 

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ADHD only: 

includes up to 2-hour client interview session, up to 1 hour collateral interview session, and an abbreviated report: $1,500. ​

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Autism only: 

includes up to 2-hour client interview session, up to 1 hour collateral interview session, and an abbreviated report: $1,500

Both ADHD and autism:

includes up to 3-hour interview client session, up to 1 hour collateral interview session, and an abbreviated report: $1,800 

Long-form report:

ADHD only or autism only assessment:  Add $700

Combined autism and ADHD assessment: Add $1,100

 

Cognitive (IQ) testing:  

Add $300

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Additional interview time when requested: 

$260 an hour billed in 15 minute increments

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When will you be billed for the assessment?​

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Your credit card will be billed for the full cost of the assessment right after you are scheduled for an interview. If there are additional costs, such as a request for additional interview time, a request for a long form report instead of an abbreviated one, or a request for IQ testing, those costs will be billed before your feedback session. 

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How soon will you receive the report?

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My goal is to have a report emailed to you within 4 weeks after the feedback session. It will be emailed via HIPAA compliant email to the email address you provide on the intake form. 

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What should you know and have for an in person interview?​

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You are welcome to make yourself comfortable in my office. I have some sensory toys and fidgets, a weighted blanket, a bean bag chair. You are welcome so sit how and wheere you like. You don't have to make eye contact, or face me if you prefer not to. If you feel like bringing your cherished objects or sensory items you find helpful, please feel free to do so. If you would like to share items related to your interests, please feel free to do so as well. You can bring snacks (no nuts please) and water. 

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What should you know and have for a virtual (online) interview?

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You should have a fast internet connection good enough for a Zoom call. Please be in a comfortable, quiet, private space. Have sensory items you enjoy with you. You should feel free to move around, take movement breaks, face away from the camera, etc. Feel free to have snacks, water, etc. to have during the interview. If you have things to show me such as items related to your interests, comfort items, or cherished objects, please have them close by. 

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