ADHD Assessment Process and Cost

ADHD assessments at Ally are performed as a stepwise process.  Payment is due at the time of each appointment for services not covered by insurance.  In an effort to save you both time and money, your provider may advise you against continued testing if they do not feel that it is needed.  You may also discontinue the assessment process at any time if you decide that you don’t want to proceed and continue working with your provider on other mental health concerns.

Step 1: Initial intake evaluation

This is the starting point for every patient we see.  At this appointment, we will discuss your mental health history and any or all diagnoses we feel should be considered.  Occasionally, this process may take more than one appointment.  If the provider feels that you may have ADHD symptoms, you will be sent several screening tests to gather more information.  If not, your provider will explain why they feel that an ADHD diagnosis is less likely than an alternative diagnosis, like anxiety. 

Step 2: Completion of Rating and Assessment Scales

We currently use 3 screening tests to be completed at home to gather more information regarding your symptoms. Two of these tests should be completed by you, but one of the assessments should be completed by people you are close to.  This assessment, called the Copeland Symptom List, should be completed by two different people, ideally someone who has known you since childhood.  This is especially important in assessment of adults, as it can be difficult for you to remember childhood symptoms.  Once all of these assessments have been completed, we can schedule you for a final, more comprehensive written assessment that may be completed in the office or online with provider oversight. Based on these assessments, if both you and your provider think it is appropriate to perform further testing, you may be scheduled for your ADHD Assessment Interview, which is described below.

Step 4: ADHD Assessment Interview

The assessment interview is approximately 90 minutes of discussion about both current and childhood ADHD symptoms.  After this interview, your provider will document all of the information collected and synthesize it into a report that explains their findings.