How to prepare for an ADHD or autism assessment
Clients sometimes ask me how they can best prepare for an ADHD or autism assessment so I thought I would write some points to consider here. If you would like support to prepare for your assessment, please get in touch.
​
The first thing I would suggest you do is read through or watch a video about the diagnostic criteria for ADHD and/or autism and write down as much of your history that would support the criteria, even if it feels like a stretch (let the psychiatrist be the gatekeeper to diagnosis, rather than you). There are plenty of creators on YouTube who have made videos on this topic, but as always when looking on the internet, be critical of the information that you are receiving and see where their expertise has come from. Russell Barkley's video for ADHD and Samantha Stein's (Yo Samdy Sam) for autism both offer clear breakdowns of the diagnostic criteria for each diagnosis.
​
ADHD and autism are classified as developmental conditions (e.g. present from birth) so school reports and other information from your childhood are helpful for assessments because your teachers may have written that you were displaying behaviors indicative of clinical symptoms. Do not worry if you do not have any documented evidence, however. Typically, unless the reports clearly state how disruptive/restless in your seat you were in class (e.g. "obviously" ADHD) or uncommunicative/rude/fixated on patterns (e.g. "obviously autistic), school reports might not matter that much anyway. A good psychiatrist will be able to piece together the information you give them to make their decision. Your memories of your symptoms are relevant to your assessment as well.
​
On that note, if you are struggling to remember any past experiences of ADHD difficulties (I did) then you could think about how you struggle now (which is also relevant for your assessment) and try to think back to similar experiences in your childhood (teenage years count).
​
Watch videos about ADHD and autistic symptoms and other's experiences as this may trigger memories in you. There may be things you do or did when you were younger that you have forgotten about and it can be helpful to be reminded by others.
​
Try to remember that there is no checklist that the psychiatrist needs to work through, there are criteria and a diagnosis is given if a majority of symptoms are present. You will present the psychiatrist with all of the information you have about how you fit the clinical criteria and they will then decide whether it is enough to give a diagnosis. Try to think of the assessment as a "positive" exercise of evidence building rather than a "negative" one of proving your validity.
​
As a last resort, if you are not diagnosed and you feel the psychiatrist did not listen or act ethically in the assessment, you can appeal and also see another psychiatrist. Yes that means a further wait, but it also gives you another chance to gather more information about yourself for your next assessment. Or you may decide you do not need to - self-diagnosis is also valid and does not mean the way you experience the world is any less true.