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ADHD and Autism Testing Typically Available Within 1-2 Months
Assessment Process
Assessment Process
Undergoing a comprehensive assessment can feel like a daunting step, but this guide is designed to demystify the process, alleviating any anxiety or discomfort that might arise from navigating an unfamiliar experience. My primary goal in this post is to ensure you feel well-prepared and supported throughout this important journey.
Intake Process:
Upon receiving an initial scheduling request, my team works to check your insurance benefits, providing you with estimates of coverage and copays for this type of evaluation. We aim to ensure you have a clear understanding of your financial responsibilities upfront, enabling you to make informed decisions about your care.
Once your assessment is officially scheduled, you will receive a comprehensive and detailed email. This communication will serve as your go-to resource, outlining all specific information pertinent to your upcoming appointments. Crucially, it will also contain a clear breakdown of the next steps and all necessary intake forms. Completing these forms in a timely manner is essential for the smooth progression of your assessment and allows us to gather vital information before your first appointment.
Appointment One: Clinical Interview
This appointment can be online or in person. It typically takes between one to one and a half hours. Before the meeting, you will be sent an intake questionnaire, which, although lengthy, helps inform this appointment and ensures that any topics of concern are addressed in more detail. Information collected during the clinical interview and from this intake document helps to inform diagnostic criteria, as well as what will be included in the testing battery to rule in or out potential diagnoses contributing to areas of concern or difference.
After this appointment, you'll receive self-report measures via secure email to complete at home. This is a crucial part of the process and is designed to save you 1-2 hours of completing these questions in the testing office. Additionally, if possible, I will request the name and email of someone who knows you well to provide an external report of any related symptoms or differences they have observed.
Appointment Two: In-Person Testing
“Testing” is a bit of a misnomer; while these tasks are standardized (essentially scored and compared to same-aged population averages), they are not like sitting down to take an SAT or other academic test. This approximately three-hour appointment is in-person at my Beaverton location, as many of the tasks we will ask you to complete require interaction with physical testing materials, including a variety of puzzles, games and activities. Some you may find enjoyable and interesting, while others may be more challenging. With the maximum time spent on any single task at 15 minutes, this fluctuation typically helps maintain engagement and minimize fatigue.
For this appointment, you will likely meet with my psychometrician, who is skilled in collecting testing data. I will then analyze this data and combine it with information gathered from the clinical interview, intake paperwork, and self-report and other-report measures. This thorough integration of all three data sources promotes consistency and provides concrete evidence to support diagnoses and recommendations.
You are welcome to bring food and drink, and you may take breaks as needed. We also offer a private waiting room, a comfortable chair in the testing room, and complimentary water and tea.
Appointment Three: Feedback Session
Your final appointment can be online or in person. During this appointment, we will spend approximately 50 minutes reviewing and processing your assessment results, as well as addressing any questions you may have. After this appointment, I will send your full report via a secure email. If you have follow-up questions or needs after receiving this detailed document, I am happy to schedule additional sessions or correspond by email.
Hopefully, this detailed information will assist you in preparing for this unique and often rewarding journey. A comprehensive psychological assessment provides a truly in-depth look into the functional impacts and how to best utilize your own strengths.
Stay tuned for our next post, which will discuss how the results of comprehensive assessments can inform and maximize future supports, accommodations, and services.
"I've Decided to Move Forward with an ASD/ADHD Assessment. Now What?"
"I've Decided to Move Forward with an ASD/ADHD Assessment. Now What?"
The following are a few things to consider as you move forward with your assessment journey: the type of assessment and what that will entail, whether the potential benefits will be worthy of your time and energy, how to get started finding a provider or practice that will best serve you, and what you would like to get out of the process.
Assessment Type
Assessment Type
Description
Description
Information Provided
Information Provided
Brief Self Report
Measures of perceived symptoms through questionnaires, ratings, and clinical interview. Often include review or relevant medical records.
Presence and severity of self-report symptoms.
2. Diagnostic Assessment
Includes the above information as well as interviews and symptom measures from individuals who know you well.
Presence and severity of self-report symptoms.
3. Comprehensive Assessment
Gather information from multiple sources: self-reports, observations from others, medical records, and standardized testing. Includes tasks measuring brain functioning across different areas
Objective numerical data, regarding abilities, strengths, and weaknesses compared to peers, confirmation of functional impacts related to diagnosis, and information to rule out other factors.
Benefits of Comprehensive Psychological Assessment
Benefits of Comprehensive Psychological Assessment
Provides more concrete information and certainty regarding diagnoses.
Includes both objective (statistical/standardized data from functional testing) and subjective data (self and other symptom ratings).
Assists in ruling out other potential contributing factors, reducing misdiagnosis risks.
Steps to Seeking Assessment
Steps to Seeking Assessment
Discuss with Professionals:
Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) and current therapists.
Locate Providers:
Use search strategies such as Portland Therapy Center and Psychology Today.
Check Insurance:
Use your insurance company directory to find in-network providers.
Verify Benefits:
Ask about outpatient mental health benefits for testing codes 90791, 96130, and 96136.
Inquire about deductible, copay/coinsurance, and pre-authorization requirements.
Important Considerations
Important Considerations
An assessment does not guarantee a specific diagnosis.
Testing results or the report may not result in sought accommodations.
An assessment provides detailed information about strengths and weaknesses, areas of concern, and research-backed recommendations to provide optimal support and optimize functioning and well-being.
If you feel that an assessment is the right next step for you, stay tuned for our next post, where we will explain our intake process and what you can expect at your initial consultation and testing appointment.
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