Guide to Getting Diagnosed

So you think you might be neurodivergent and are considering getting diagnosed and starting treatment. Here’s how to get started on your journey.

Start By Identifying Your Challenges

You might suspect you’re neurodivergent or a family member, teacher, or guidance counselor.

Either way, get curious.

1. Notice patterns in thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

2. Do research and see if they match common neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions. Check out other resources.

3. You may want to fill out an online screening test specifically for your age group to bring to your appointment. ADDitude has some great ones.

Steps to Getting Diagnosed and Starting Treatment

1. Talk to a family member, primary care doctor, therapist, or another trusted adult (including a school counselor). Ask if they’ve noticed the same issues and what they think is the best action. Family members can be particularly helpful because ADHD and autism are highly genetic.

2. Get tested. You may do testing through your school.

   If you’re not getting tested through school, ask your regular doctor or therapist for their opinion.

   Either way, they will likely recommend evaluation by someone who can diagnose neurodivergent conditions, like a therapist (if you don’t have one already) or another kind of specialist (usually a neuropsychologist).

   Note: Psychoeducational testing that’s free through your school is often less thorough and takes longer to access. Neuropsychological testing might be covered by your insurance, but it can still be expensive. However, many resources are out there to cut the costs associated with neuropsychological testing. Marker Learning is a great one.

3. See any specialists that your doctor or therapist recommended.

4. Your therapist, specialist, or primary care doctor will diagnose you and discuss treatment options. They might send you to another specialist for further evaluation, especially if medication is a treatment option.

5. Evaluate treatment options with the help of your parents or other family member, including:

• Medications or therapies discussed with your regular doctor and specialists

• School or work accommodations

Example from a Friend with ADHD

1. Her guidance counselor in high school recommended that she take the Vanderbilt ADHD test because she was struggling in school.

2. My friend asked her primary care doctor to give it to her. She took the test, and her doctor diagnosed her with ADHD.

3. She was able to access medication, school accommodations, and a bunch of other self-help resources, which have really helped her.

References

1. Anxiety & Depression Association of America. Types of Mental Health Care Professionals. https://adaa.org/find-help/treatment-help/types-of-therapy/types-of-mental-health-care-professionals

2. Mental Health America. Types of Mental Health Professionals. https://mhanational.org/types-mental-health-professionals

3. Ross Kidder, K. Assessment for Adults with LD and/or ADHD. LD Online. https://www.ldonline.org/ld-topics/evaluation-ld-testing/assessment-adults-ld-andor-adhd

4. Seladi-Schulman, J. Occupational Therapy vs. Physical Therapy: What to Know. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/occupational-therapy-vs-physical-therapy#about-occupational-therapy

5. Mattheisen, M., Grove, J., Als, T.D. et al. (2022). Identification of shared and differentiating genetic architecture for autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and case subgroups. Nat Genet (54), 1470–1478. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-022-01171-3