Autism & ADHD Diagnostic Evaluations for Adults

Our diagnostic evaluations for adults — which include autism, ADHD, and combined AuDHD —are a collaborative journey toward self-discovery. We center your lived experience, recognizing that traditional screening and assessment tools often overlook the nuance of neurodivergent identities, especially for individuals who are high-masking, 2E (twice exceptional), and/or those who are seeking a diagnosis later in life.

We also see many adults who are seeking another evaluation after a negative initial evaluation experience, parents who are seeking evaluation after their child’s diagnosis and/or traits led to their own self-discovery, adults who have one of the AuDUD diagnoses and want evaluation for the other, and fellow therapists looking to explore their identity!

Through our neuro-affirming, strengths-based approach to evaluation, we will explore your unique neurotype together. Our hope is that this process feels affirming to your inner knowing, and you will also be invited to set an intention for your diagnostic interview session, to ensure we move collectively toward your goals for our time together. During the session, you are invited to stim, use fidgets (our office has plenty!), take breaks, and care for yourself.

It is our hope that your experience with us, including the written report you receive at the end, will provide clarity, as well as tangible recommendations and resources for ongoing self-exploration and identity development.

We use an equitable sliding scale pricing model. (See “Our Pricing” below for more about this approach and help determining your rate.)

  • Accessible rates:

    • Autism or ADHD evaluation: $700 (or 2 payments of $350)

    • Combined AuDHD evaluation: $900 (or 2 payments of $450)

  • Sustainable rates:

    • Autism or ADHD evaluation: $900 (or 2 payments of $450)

    • Combined AuDHD evaluation: $1100 (or 2 payments of $550)

  • Inclusive rates:

    • Autism or ADHD evaluation: $1100 (or 2 payments of $550)

    • Combined AuDHD evaluation: $1300 (or 2 payments of $750)

The diagnostic interview session for your evaluation can be in-person or virtual via telehealth. It is typically 2-3 hours for the autism or ADHD evaluation and 3-4 hours for the combined evaluation. We do not require any collateral interviews for adult evaluations. The session to review your report, evaluation outcomes, and recommendations is 25-minutes; these are only conducted virtually via telehealth. The overall evaluation process takes your clinician an average of up to 9 hours.

Our Process

    • Diagnostic evaluation is the process of determining if someone meets the clinical criteria for a diagnosis, like autism and ADHD.

    • In our country, diagnostic evaluation typically uses the DSM-5 criteria, and there are many tools based on this criteria that can be used for diagnostic evaluation. Most of these tools are rooted to neuronormative perspectives and evaluate based on deficits. However, there are tools that center the neurodivergent experience; we designed our evaluation process using these. If you’re curious about what specific tools we use, just ask!

    • We follow the Lived Experience Informed Practice model, meaning lived experience is the foundation for our diagnostic exploration. We then blend this with an understanding of your teen’s life circumstances, an intersectional lens, clinical best practice, and evidence-based research to make meaning.

    • We engage you collaboratively during this process, which includes: gathering developmental and social history; completing self-report questionnaires; conducting a diagnostic interview session; writing an evaluation report; and finally, reviewing the report, evaluation outcomes, and recommendations.

    • Yes! In the Commonwealth of Virginia, under Virginia Code §54.1-3500, licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) can provide diagnostic services at the autonomous practice level and use the DSM for diagnostic evaluation. (Learn more here.) We map our diagnostic reports back to the DSM-5 for this reason.

    • While LCSWs cannot conduct full neuropsychological testing — which is typical for the normative process of evaluation — autism and ADHD evaluations do not require this testing for diagnosis, and our process is intentionally designed to be neuro-affirming.

    • This section contains a lot of info, but we include this for our fellow autistic/ADHD folx who benefit from clear, detailed expectations.

    • You will complete our client inquiry form to let us know you would like to schedule. We will then email you with date/time options, and you will be expected to reply to schedule.

    • Once you schedule your session, you will be emailed a link through Carepatron, our HIPAA-compliant portal. You are expected to establish your portal for ongoing communication.

    • In the portal, you will receive consents and questionnaires, as well as your invoice. These need to be completed and the invoice paid at least 72 hours prior to your diagnostic interview session.

    • During your diagnostic interview session, you are invited to stim, take breaks, and care for yourself in whatever ways you need. If in-person, our office has lots of comfy seating, plenty of fidgets to choose from, and natural lighting. Here is a picture of what it looks like! (We have the option of an office with no windows for light sensitive folx.) You can also bring whatever you need to feel supported (fidgets, comfort items, food, drinks, etc.) and wear comfy clothes — we model inclusivity by doing the same!

    • Once your evaluation report is ready, we will reach out to you to schedule the 25-minute report review session; this will be via telehealth (video session). If you chose the split payment option, the final payment will also be due 24 hours before this session. During the review, we invite questions, as well as feedback to ensure the report feels aligned and affirming.

    • We provide services both in-person and virtually via telehealth.

    • Our office for in-person sessions is in Richmond, VA near Bryan Park (address provided after scheduling). This space is owned by The Properties of Light, an intentionally neuro-inclusive practice.

    • We can also provide virtual services throughout Virginia, as long as the client is in the state at the time of the session.

Our Pricing

We are committed to cost transparency.

    • No — all of our services are out-of-pocket to ensure autonomy over diagnostic disclosure; if we took insurance, any diagnosis would become a part of your medical record/history. This feels especially important in this social and political climate.

    • Our equitable sliding scale model helps to distribute wealth and ensure accessibility to services for clients of all financial statuses.

    • We use a self-determined sliding scale model for our services, with three rate tiers: (Learn more about identifying your rate here.)

      • Inclusive rate: above the cost of providing these services, offering mutual aid; for those with more financial resources

      • Sustainable rate: at the cost of providing these services (our “regular” rate); for those with average financial resources

      • Accessible rate: below the cost of providing these services, engaging mutual aid; for those with less financial resources

    • Self-determined means we do not require any disclosure to select your rate, as we believe in the integrity and self-awareness of our clients. Simply select your rate tier in our scheduling form.

    • We understand that, even with our equitable sliding scale pricing model, the cost of private pay autism and ADHD evaluations can be prohibitive. We are working to identify grants and other opportunities to cover some or all of our accessible rate for a few clients each year. If you would like to be added to our waitlist for these reduced fee and pro bono sessions, please email us.

    • We evaluated market rates for evaluations, which can range up to $3000. We then set our rates well below this, while attending to the work involved and our financial sustainability as a business. Here is the typical time commitment for an evaluation:

      • 1-1.5 hours of prep, reviewing self-report questionnaires

      • 2-3 hours for the diagnostic interview session with the client (3-4 hours for combined evaluations)

      • 3-4 hours of session analysis and writing of diagnostic report and recommendations (4-5 for combined evaluations)

      • 30-minute session to review report, evaluation outcomes, and recommendations

      • Total: up to 9 hours (up to 11 hours for combined)

    • Our sustainable rate averages to $100/hour, which is below the market rate for private pay therapy services ($182/hour in 2022).

    • Payments are due in advance, made securely through our portal.

    • We have two payment options: (1) In-full, up to 72 hours prior to their diagnostic interview session, or (2) Two equal split payments, with the first half due up to 72 hours prior to the diagnostic evaluation session and the second due up to 24 hours prior to the report review session. We understand if you need to space these two sessions out to make the payments more manageable; you can do so up to 2-months post-initial session.