This assessment is for those who are 16 year of age or older who suspect that they may have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). The assessment follows a prescribed series of interviews and observational assessments that allows the psychologist to definitively assess for AD/HD.
Why get an assessment for AD/HD?
We know that AD/HD is no longer exclusive to children. There has been a global recognition that many adults have been overlooked for AD/HD because of gender and/or and the subtlety of their challenges. More importantly, we also now know that the impact of attentional challenges can be significant and effect a number of areas of daily life (e.g., employment, relationships, health, academics, and mental health).
While the vast majority of our assessment clients are primarily interested in receiving a professional or ‘official’ diagnosis of AD/HD to help validate their day-to-day experiences, others are looking to get more targeted resources, supports, adjustments, or accommodations in their work/academic life.
The process
The two core areas we examine are: Inattention (e.g., sustained focus, concentration, memory, organizing, etc.) and Hyperactivity/Impulsivity (e.g., motor restlessness, impulsivity, emotional regulation, etc.). We use a very broad-based approach to collect as much information as possible about these two areas that are specific to our individual assessment clients.
Online questionnaires
Before we sit down for our clinical interview, we send out and collect a number of questionnaires that include executive functioning, AD/HD-specific, and general mental health.
Past Reports
When and where appropriate, we also ask for any past assessment reports to help provide some historical perspective and to help identify any prior diagnostic patterns.
Clinical Interviews
1. Client Interview
We set aside two hours for the interview with our psychologists to allow for a detailed and descriptive history collection. The interview will range over a number of important topics like family, relationships, schooling, employment, and course, AD/HD experiences. We know that this can be a stressful time for some and we make every effort to provide a safe and comfortable environment to help with the process. Because it is a relatively small amount of time to share ‘everything’, some individuals like to provide additional information prior to and/or after the interview to ensure that extra details aren’t missed.
2. Observer Interview
When appropriate, secondary information sources (e.g., parent, spouse, sibling, etc.) can help support the assessment process.
3. Additional Consultations
If the assessment client is working directly with a mental health specialist (Registered Clinical Counsellor, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist), and they give consent, we will pursue a consultation with the specialist for additional information that will help the diagnostic process.
Feedback Meeting
Typically, we schedule an online feedback meeting two weeks after the assessment to allow time for us to collect any additional information. During the feedback meeting, the Psychologist will go over all of the online questionnaires, observations, consultations and outline the diagnostic outcome. Regardless of whether the outcome is a “yes” or “no” for AD/HD, the clinician will provide the appropriate resources, referrals, and recommendations specific to the client’s needs at the time of the feedback.
Report
Following the feedback meeting, the Psychologist will be providing you directly with a formal assessment report. The report will be provided through the secure Jane app we use and will not be provided to any third party without the consent of the assessed individual. The reports typically include an overview of the measure and observations in addition to providing formal diagnostic information. Each report will have a number of recommendations that are individualized to the client’s needs.
Feel free to get in touch to talk to our administrative and clinical team about this process.