Assessments for Autism and ADHD
If you are an adult who has wondered if you might be neurodivergent, autistic, ADHD, on the spectrum, or otherwise have a mind that works differently from the norm, you are welcome here!
I offer an assessment process that focuses on identifying your unique patterns of being in the world.
(click “I’m a new client” —> then click the option for Assessment Consultation)
This assessment process might be for you if:
You are consistently burning out and the systems you’ve created for yourself based on neurotypical norms just aren’t working for you
You have experienced relational difficulties throughout your life, and while you have tried to improve your relationships, traditional approaches don’t seem to be working
You were diagnosed with a personality disorder or other mental health condition that you don’t feel accurately or fully describes how you experience the world, or isn’t responding to “typical” treatment
You feel like you don’t know yourself very well, despite your efforts to get to understand who you are and how you operate
You want an assessment provider who has lived experience, is neuroaffirming, and prioritizes your privacy and autonomy
What if…when we build different structures, more minds get to thrive?
https://stimpunks.org/philosophy/autism-is-a-neurotype-not-a-disorder/
More Information
About assessment:
All licensed providers in counseling and psychotherapy are trained to diagnose mental health and developmental disorders as conceptualized through the lens of the DSM. This can be done without administering standardized assessments (i.e., through non-standardized clinical interviews), although most providers are trained in basic standardized questionnaires and measures. In some states, only doctoral level providers (PhD, PsyD, Doctor) are licensed to administer psychological evaluations for autism, but in Maryland, Masters-level providers (LCPC, LCSW) are able to do so.
Mental, emotional, and psychological disorders and their diagnoses are complex processes based on conceptualizations of human behavior, functioning, identity, and personality that have been primarily determined through the filter of the medical and mental health industrial complex. This means that they are not always accurate depictions of human experience, and/or that they fail to capture the full range of human experience and pathology. Both standardized measures and non-standardized clinical interviews can fail to identify and validate someone’s unique experience and can fail to assign the appropriate description for that experience. Diagnoses and their accompanying standardized measures can be invalid and unreliable, depending on social and cultural context. Therefore, it is important that providers offering assessment or evaluation services have specialized training, experience, and knowledge when approaching assessment, and particularly so for assessment that has relevance for marginalized and multiply-marginalized people such as neurodivergent and autistic individuals, and approach this process from an intersectional and culturally sensitive perspective.
My assessment process incorporates the knowledge I have of traditional diagnosis and the DSM as well as the knowledge I have gained from self-study, lived experience, and consultation with other neurodivergence-informed providers, to offer you a unique understand of your neurotype profile. I use an expanded criteria of autism and ADHD to capture people whose neurotypes do not necessarily fit the DSM criteria. This expanded criteria is informed by experiences and knowledge shared by autistic people. Please schedule a free consultation to learn more about if this is the right kind of assessment for you.
My training, experience and knowledge is informed by:
Autistic-Informed Autism Assessment by Rachel Boggan, LCSW, ADHD-CCSP, CCTP at The Properties of Light
Working with neurodivergent clients
Lived experience of neurodivergence
Independent research and resource gathering from community sources
I attempt to provide competent, humble, and effective therapy and assessment services. I may fall short of this aspiration at times. I am grateful for the people who I work with who offer their time and feedback to me, and who help my services be more culturally and clinically accurate and affirming.
Accommodations:
To the best extent I am able, I will accommodate your unique needs during the assessment process, including but not limited to: providing materials in multiple formats when available, offering options to meet virtually or in-person, offering flexibility in the timeline of assessment scheduling, providing sensory supports during interview sessions, etc. To participate in the assessment process at Defiant Therapy, you must be able to speak and/or write in the English language or obtain an interpreter for your assessment interviews. This assessment can be completed asynchronously without a spoken interview if needed for those who use only or would strongly prefer to use only written communication. A spoken, synchronous, face-to-face interview is recommended for those who are able to communicate via verbal speech.
Timeline:
It may take several months to complete your assessment process (from consultation to receiving the finalized report), depending on scheduling availability, the time it takes you to complete intake paperwork and assessments, and the time it takes me to write a comprehensive report. I’m new to the assessment process and am still establishing rhythms that work for me and my clients, but I hope to bring you the answers you need as quickly as I can.
RATE: Sliding Scale
You are welcome to pay any fee for the assessment ranging from $370 to $1850.
The three rates below are listed for reference. Please consider these linked questions if you need help determining what fee you would like to request. You will not be asked to prove your need for a lower rate in any way. Your request will be accepted at face value.
Accessible rate: $370
Standard rate: $925
Redistribution rate: $1850
Please note that completing a comprehensive assessment, especially following a non-traditional framework, takes about 8 to 10 hours or more of labor. The full fee (redistribution rate) for this service reflects this labor cost. However, this non-traditional assessment process is often not accessible at higher rates, and I want this to be available to those with fewer resources. I am not able to provide out of network reimbursement for these assessments, as they do not follow a medical model and are for personal identification purposes.
These rates include assessment for autism and ADHD – it is recommended that clients complete both as they are often co-occurring, and this can help you better understand your neurotype profile.