#diagnostic process

     As far as I’m aware, there isn’t a single universal diagnostic process. If you want to know the specifics of the place you’re going to get evaluated, I would recommend Googling that centre specifically and seeing if there’s any information available, or asking someone who works there for a summary of what you can expect. You could also ask your diagnostician for a rundown of how your evaluation is going to work at the start of it, assuming they don’t begin by offering one anyway.

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     Personally, I’m from Canada, so I don’t know how relevant my own diagnostic experience will be to yours in the US, but I can at least share a bit about how it worked for me if you’re curious:

      My own evaluation took place over two sessions that were a month apart and lasted a few hours each. Both were done entirely verbally, but I’ve heard of other people filling out questionnaires and written tests, so I think it changes depending on the diagnostician’s preferences and the standard practices of the specific place you’re being tested at.

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     When I went to my first ADHD evaluation, I brought this article with me and spent the majority of the time methodically going through it and talking about the parts I related to and how. The doctor diagnosing me had a document of questions relating to specific ADHD symptoms and took notes of any that I addressed while I spoke, then followed up by asking any questions I hadn’t already covered in my explanation. Eg: “Do you often miss small details? Do you have trouble sitting still?”

     She and my therapist also both had my permission to compare notes and discuss their thoughts together during the time between my first and second appointment, but I wasn’t present for that myself so I don’t know what all was involved. Then in the second appointment, the doctor and I finished answering the remaining questions and discussed her conclusions regarding my diagnosis. Overall, it was pretty straightforward.

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     Again, though, that’s just how my own diagnosis went, and I unfortunately can’t really say how similar or different yours will be. I had the advantage of being recommended to a diagnostician that was already working closely with my therapist, and compared to my ASD diagnosis which was done by a different person and took place over the course of several months, this one felt like a breeze. I was also very lucky to have a good diagnostician who was easy to get along with and willing to listen, which definitely makes a huge difference.

Sent February 20, 2019

This page of our FAQ deals with the diagnostic process and talks about self-diagnosis. It also includes a link to our self-diagnosis post.

Did you know: it takes an average of 4.8 years for rare disease patients to receive a diagnosis. If you want to know more about why the diagnostic process takes so long and what needs to change in the healthcare system to speed up this process, give this post a read.