If you’re thinking about booking an assessment but the unknown seems a little bit daunting - here’s a little bit about what you can expect
(1) Intake Forms
After you book an assessment, you will be sent a confirmation email and will be asked to to complete a couple of intake forms.
A Caregiver/Sibling intake form and a Partner/Friend intake form will also be sent to you. Gathering information from someone who knows you really well now, and someone who knew you really well as a child or teenager, can prove extremely helpful. It can also be helpful if you have access to any old school reports or even childhood diaries.
However, please rest assured that these additional sources of information are optional - if there is no one in your life who you wish to complete these, or you don’t have access to old reports, it will not hinder your assessment.
(3) Diagnostic Assessment
We will then meet for a second time (either via telehealth or in person) to conduct the diagnostic assessment. This is typically done in a 2-3 hour session; however, alternative arrangements can be discussed as well.
During this session, I will use one or two structured clinical interviews to help inform my diagnostic conclusions - these include the MIGDAS-2 and/or the DIVA-5. Whilst these interviews use structured questions aimed at assessing the diagnostic criteria, the session should feel like a conversation that is collaborative in nature. My aim is to help you feel as comfortable as possible to discuss your experiences and to feel understood.
If the thought of sitting for 2-3 hours makes you want to pull your hair out, you are free to move around, kick your feet up on the couch, or use the sensory tools/fidgets available. Most importantly, you are encouraged to do whatever you need to do to support yourself through this process. With that being said, you are also welcome to bring a support person with you to any appointments.
(2) Initial Consultation & Questionnaires
Appointments can be conducted via telehealth or in-person at my rooms in St Kilda. During the initial 50-minute consultation, we will discuss your developmental history, educational/employment history, and mental health history. I may also ask you some questions from the intake forms you completed.
After this initial consultation, you will be sent a battery of self-report questionnaires to complete at your pace. These questionnaires are standardised measures that aim to assess/screen for autistic and/or ADHD traits.
(4) Receiving Your Report & Feedback
After your assessment, I will collate all the data that I’ve gathered to inform my diagnostic conclusions, and I will either write a summary letter or a comprehensive report, depending on the option you have chosen.
For those who wish to receive a comprehensive report, we will meet 6-8 weeks after the diagnostic session. During this appointment, we will go through the report together and you will have a chance to ask any questions that you have.
For those who have opted for the summary letter, this will be sent to you via email within 6 weeks.
