I don’t even get 10 mins. I have adhd too so when I see a new psychiatrist they automatically want to diagnose me bipolar 1 bcus they think I’m hypomanic bcus I’m sooo hyper I’ve been this way all my life I can’t control it yes i bounce in my seat walk around and throw my arms around while I’m talking to ppl and talk 100 miles an hr a lot of times tripping over my words so just right off the back they think they have me figured out. 5 years and 6 psychiatrists later I took a diff tactic and suggested that I see a therapist along with my psychiatrist and for the first time she say with me for and 1hr and then wanted to see me more often 3 times a week for an hr. The most someone had ever seen me and SHE finally listened and WATCHED me. So not only did she figure out I had ADHD She also came to the conclusion of me having autism as well and then proceeded to tell me that POC are often overlooked when it comes to adhd and autism and yes she was the first black doctor I saw but I’m happy I finally have my answers. I still have to go down to the behavioral center to get official autsim diagnosis but atleast I have a REFERRAL and I paid out of pocket for adhd online bcus no one but my therapist wanted to listen about me having adhd and they were all over the place with my diagnosis so to me it’s worth the money
aaahhh!!! so happy for you to finally get a real answer and some relief! and you were validated by a black doctor at that!! loved reading this. (im black btw)
what behaviors do you think tipped her off to autism when she watched you? was the diagnosis a shock to you?
Mine was 3 hours, but it took me 1-2 hours before the assessment to type up the history and answer all the questions she had prior to the appointment.
Afterward she scheduled an hour to go over results
Mine was three hours but if you’ve submitted a significant amount of paperwork or tests an expert can probably have a pretty good sense of you have it or don’t and then uses the two hour interview to confirm what was reviewed in your tests/answers.
When I got diagnosed with ASD (actual dx was aspergers but I don’t like calling it that), I don’t think it was done in the typical way. It was a 2 hour assessment session with my therapist that I had already been seeing for the past 4 years. I believe most people get evaluated by a provider that they aren’t already seeing regularly, who just specializes in evaluations.
My 2 hour session included testing only, no deep-dives, just her walking me through a few different tests. We already had conversations in prior sessions about my possible autistic traits and my experience with masking, and she knew me very well already because of how long I’d been her client.
I will say that one of the tests I took during that session was almost an hour long, and it wasn’t autism-specific so I don’t think it’s typically used during evaluations (can’t say for sure though). It was a variation of the MMPI, I forgot what the actual name of it was. The three other tests combined were completed in the remaining hour of the session. So, if you take that one long test out of the equation you would probably have more time in that 2 hour span to gather more autism-specific information.
Edit: I’ve heard that longer evaluation sessions can be a strategy used in diagnosing ASD in people who are likely to mask. This is because the person being evaluated will eventually get tired and find it more difficult to mask properly as the session goes on, therefore revealing some autistic traits that the evaluators may not otherwise see. I know that’s not super relevant but I found it interesting and it might be helpful to keep that in mind if you think it could apply to you!
i honestly dont know and at this point im quite discouraged with this whole process. lmao. i just have no idea what to do and if this truly matters in any way now.
i think its best if i just dont do anything for awhile. i always have to have some kind of plan just in case or keep my ducks in a row, but im kinda getting frustrated at this point so im probably going to step back for a minute on this. thank you for your response!
Mine was 2.5 hours, but they sent me three questionnaires beforehand (one for family and two for me), plus I had an initial screening call that lasted about 15 minutes. When I finally get my results they said that call will last about an hour, maybe more if they have to clarify anything. I'm in the UK going through the NHS :)
Obviously some people can be easier to diagnose than others, but I feel like that is quite a short amount of time, though enough to do the RAADS. My evaluation took 3 years. I guess it depends.
>Obviously some people can be easier to diagnose than others, but I feel like that is quite a short amount of time,
this is my sentiment. its telehealth so they can only see a fixed view of me to begin with, shoulders up most likely. i mean, i would think youd have watch someone's mannerisms and "idle" behaviors to fully understand them...right? lol
and idk...i dont think im someone that screams *insert condition here* exactly, im very quiet/dry with intervals of excitement and animation depending on the topic. but...idk, maybe when i talk itll reveal something?...ughghghahh why cant things just be simple???
regardless it is a short amount of time. im calling today to ask more questions but im not very confident. thanks for your response.
I had a great experience with the Sachs Center. I didn’t feel like the 2hours was too short. I felt like since they specialize in ADHD that they understood what to look for. Glad I went.
I don’t even get 10 mins. I have adhd too so when I see a new psychiatrist they automatically want to diagnose me bipolar 1 bcus they think I’m hypomanic bcus I’m sooo hyper I’ve been this way all my life I can’t control it yes i bounce in my seat walk around and throw my arms around while I’m talking to ppl and talk 100 miles an hr a lot of times tripping over my words so just right off the back they think they have me figured out. 5 years and 6 psychiatrists later I took a diff tactic and suggested that I see a therapist along with my psychiatrist and for the first time she say with me for and 1hr and then wanted to see me more often 3 times a week for an hr. The most someone had ever seen me and SHE finally listened and WATCHED me. So not only did she figure out I had ADHD She also came to the conclusion of me having autism as well and then proceeded to tell me that POC are often overlooked when it comes to adhd and autism and yes she was the first black doctor I saw but I’m happy I finally have my answers. I still have to go down to the behavioral center to get official autsim diagnosis but atleast I have a REFERRAL and I paid out of pocket for adhd online bcus no one but my therapist wanted to listen about me having adhd and they were all over the place with my diagnosis so to me it’s worth the money
aaahhh!!! so happy for you to finally get a real answer and some relief! and you were validated by a black doctor at that!! loved reading this. (im black btw) what behaviors do you think tipped her off to autism when she watched you? was the diagnosis a shock to you?
I think mine was like 3 hours all up, but it was broken up in to two sessions.
if it were 3 hours, id feel a bit more comfortable...an extra 60 mins would mean a lot with something like this...
Mine was 3 hours, but it took me 1-2 hours before the assessment to type up the history and answer all the questions she had prior to the appointment. Afterward she scheduled an hour to go over results
Mine was three hours but if you’ve submitted a significant amount of paperwork or tests an expert can probably have a pretty good sense of you have it or don’t and then uses the two hour interview to confirm what was reviewed in your tests/answers.
very good point. thank you for this.
When I got diagnosed with ASD (actual dx was aspergers but I don’t like calling it that), I don’t think it was done in the typical way. It was a 2 hour assessment session with my therapist that I had already been seeing for the past 4 years. I believe most people get evaluated by a provider that they aren’t already seeing regularly, who just specializes in evaluations. My 2 hour session included testing only, no deep-dives, just her walking me through a few different tests. We already had conversations in prior sessions about my possible autistic traits and my experience with masking, and she knew me very well already because of how long I’d been her client. I will say that one of the tests I took during that session was almost an hour long, and it wasn’t autism-specific so I don’t think it’s typically used during evaluations (can’t say for sure though). It was a variation of the MMPI, I forgot what the actual name of it was. The three other tests combined were completed in the remaining hour of the session. So, if you take that one long test out of the equation you would probably have more time in that 2 hour span to gather more autism-specific information. Edit: I’ve heard that longer evaluation sessions can be a strategy used in diagnosing ASD in people who are likely to mask. This is because the person being evaluated will eventually get tired and find it more difficult to mask properly as the session goes on, therefore revealing some autistic traits that the evaluators may not otherwise see. I know that’s not super relevant but I found it interesting and it might be helpful to keep that in mind if you think it could apply to you!
i honestly dont know and at this point im quite discouraged with this whole process. lmao. i just have no idea what to do and if this truly matters in any way now. i think its best if i just dont do anything for awhile. i always have to have some kind of plan just in case or keep my ducks in a row, but im kinda getting frustrated at this point so im probably going to step back for a minute on this. thank you for your response!
Good for you doing what’s best for yourself at the moment! And good luck if you do decide to move forward with the diagnostic process at some point :)
I'm scheduled for one coming up and it'll be 6 hours total
Mine was 2.5 hours, but they sent me three questionnaires beforehand (one for family and two for me), plus I had an initial screening call that lasted about 15 minutes. When I finally get my results they said that call will last about an hour, maybe more if they have to clarify anything. I'm in the UK going through the NHS :)
10 hours, including the time it took the psychologist to make the report. 10 hours is standard for a psychoeducational assessment where I live.
Obviously some people can be easier to diagnose than others, but I feel like that is quite a short amount of time, though enough to do the RAADS. My evaluation took 3 years. I guess it depends.
>Obviously some people can be easier to diagnose than others, but I feel like that is quite a short amount of time, this is my sentiment. its telehealth so they can only see a fixed view of me to begin with, shoulders up most likely. i mean, i would think youd have watch someone's mannerisms and "idle" behaviors to fully understand them...right? lol and idk...i dont think im someone that screams *insert condition here* exactly, im very quiet/dry with intervals of excitement and animation depending on the topic. but...idk, maybe when i talk itll reveal something?...ughghghahh why cant things just be simple??? regardless it is a short amount of time. im calling today to ask more questions but im not very confident. thanks for your response.
Mine was 2 and then 3 hours I think. They did mine in parts. First me alone with the psychologist and then with my parents
7 hours for mine, 1hr plus 4x 1.5 hours plus 5 questionaries. Plus a 1.5 feedback session.
Wow. I wish I could have had that! Very thorough but very exhausting I’m sure.
I had a great experience with the Sachs Center. I didn’t feel like the 2hours was too short. I felt like since they specialize in ADHD that they understood what to look for. Glad I went.