Adult ADHD and Autism Assessments in Toronto Doctoral-Level Psychological Care
Adult ADHD and autism assessments at Laksman Doell Psychology are delivered by doctoral-level psychologists with extensive experience and training in assessing neurodivergence, both in person at our office in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto and virtually across Ontario.
How Do I Know if an Assessment Would Be Helpful?
Walking around with a question about your own mind that you’ve never had answered is its own kind of weight. You deserve a real answer, from people who are qualified to give it, delivered with the care that the question deserves.”
Most of the adults that we assess are not here because something is wrong with them. They are here because they want to understand themselves more fully, and they have decided that a real answer is better than another decade of wondering.
A lot of people arrive at assessment after a long journey. It has been years of compensating, masking, and pushing through. Years of being told that they were bright but inconsistent, intense but difficult to read, sensitive but hard to reach. Years of working twice as hard as everyone else around them to produce the same result, and never quite knowing why.
Some arrive after a recent diagnosis in a partner or a child, and the sudden recognition of their own longstanding patterns in what they’re now learning about their loved one. Some arrive because burnout finally stripped away the coping strategies that had been concealing things for decades. Some arrive because they are in their 30s, 40s, or 50s, and they are tired, genuinely tired, of not having a language for their own experience.
You do not need a referral. You do not need to be struggling visibly. Curiosity about your own mind is enough.
You may not be sure what you need, but something brought you here…
- You have spent a long time wondering why certain things that seem easy for everyone else have always cost you more. Why you move through the world differently. Why you are exhausted in ways that are hard to explain to people who haven't felt it.
- You’ve often felt misunderstood by both others and by yourself. You’ve frequently felt criticized for the way that you show up naturally, been told that you were “too sensitive” or “too rigid”, and as a result you have learned to act in ways that allow you to avoid disapproval and to blend in with others.
- Maybe you have suspected something for years. Maybe someone recently said something that sent you searching, and what you found about different diagnoses felt uncomfortably, clarifyingly, true.
The presentations of neurodiversity that we assess:
At Laksman Doell Psychology, we provide psychodiagnostic assessments to adult individuals who are wanting to understand themselves and their experiences, and who are looking for clarity regarding whether they might meet criteria for a diagnosis of ADHD and/or autism. Our doctoral-level psychologists have extensive experience providing assessment and intervention for neurodivergent individuals. This type of assessment can look different depending on the areas that you are wanting to explore:
Adult ADHD Assessments
Adult ADHD assessment in Toronto looks different than it did for the children in whom ADHD was originally studied. The hyperactivity, if it was ever there, often turns inward as individuals transition into adulthood. What remains is the particular texture of an ADHD mind in an adult body: the difficulty sustaining attention on the things that don’t hold it, the effortless hyperfocus on the things that do, the executive function challenges that make starting things hard and finishing them harder, the emotional intensity that no one ever mentioned in the diagnostic criteria, and the exhaustion of managing a brain that runs its own agenda.
Many adults with ADHD, and particularly women, have built sophisticated compensatory strategies over many years. They appear to be managing. They are managing. But it costs them something that most people don’t see. ADHD assessment for women in Toronto is an area of particular focus for our team, because female ADHD is chronically underdiagnosed in generalist settings.
Our ADHD assessments for adults involve a thorough clinical interview, standardized psychological measures, a detailed review of your history, and a written report with findings and clinical recommendations. We do not cut corners, because we know that the answer matters. A diagnosis, or the clarity that you don’t meet criteria for a diagnosis, can be equally useful. What you need is accuracy and understanding.
Assessment results can be used for workplace accommodations, academic support, or your own treatment planning.
Adult Autism Assessments
The understanding of autism has changed significantly over the years. What we now recognize is that autism presents across an enormous range of experiences, many of which were missed for decades in adults, and most of which were missed almost entirely in women and girls. Adults seeking a late autism diagnosis in Toronto often grew up being told that they were too sensitive, too intense, or too particular. Or, they were told that they were the perfect child. Independent, self-sufficient, and high-achieving. The costs of this, such as high anxiety, perfectionism, and an inability to ask for help, often went unnoticed.
Autistic adults frequently describe a lifelong sense of performing a version of themselves for the world. Of having to read the room by analysis rather than by instinct. Of needing to decompress in ways that others sometimes find excessive. Of deep, abiding, engagement with specific interests that has always set them apart.
This is not pathology. It is a different way of being in the world. And for many of the adults we work with, naming it is not the beginning of a problem. It is the end of one.
Our autism spectrum assessments for adults involve a comprehensive clinical interview covering your current experience and developmental history, standardized psychological measures, and a written report with findings and clinical recommendations.
We use the language of autism and autistic identity, because that is the language that our clients use and the language that the research supports. We understand you through the lens of differences, not deficits.
When ADHD and Autism Overlap
ADHD and autism can co-occur. The profiles share some features and diverge in others, and accurately distinguishing and identifying both, when both are present, requires clinical experience and comprehensive assessment. When you seek an assessment for one of these conditions we always consider the other, to ensure that no part of your experience is being missed or misinterpreted. We offer combined assessments when indicated, and we take the time to do them properly. A thorough assessment is not a luxury. It is what makes the findings most useful and relevant to your life.
Assessment that starts with understanding you.
At Laksman Doell Psychology, every assessment begins with an intake consultation to help us understand what you are coming in with, what you are hoping to learn, and what the right scope of assessment looks like for you.
Every assessment involves a thorough clinical interview, a review of collateral information (for example, a review of childhood report cards if they are available, of previous assessments that may have been conducted, or interviews completed with significant others in your life who might be able to offer helpful perspectives and additional information), completion of standardized psychological testing, and a comprehensive written report with findings and recommendations. We take the time to walk through the findings together. You leave with a clear understanding of what we found and what it means for your life.
Many of the adults who we assess do not go on to pursue ongoing therapy. What they needed was the answer. The clarity. The permission to stop explaining themselves in terms that never quite fit. For others, the assessment is the beginning of a longer conversation. A conversation about how to work with a mind that operates the way that theirs does, or about untangling the decades of shame and adaptation that built up around not knowing. Both choices are valid. We support both.
Reports are PHIPA-compliant and are suitable for workplace accommodations, academic accommodations, or simply for your own records.
Specialist training.
Private practice access.
All of the assessments at Laksman Doell Psychology are conducted by doctoral-level psychologists who are registered with, or working toward registration with, the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO). Our team has extensive training in complex and comprehensive assessments, and has clinical experience working with both adult ADHD and autism.
We understand the importance of a comprehensive assessment that is performed by a doctoral-level psychologist with comprehensive training, because we understand the harm that may come from misdiagnosis. For adult individuals, in whom the signs of ADHD or autism have already been missed for many years, this is of particular importance. When you have rarely felt understood before, you deserve someone who takes the time and has the expertise, to understand you now.
Assessments are available in person at 27 Prince Arthur Avenue in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, or virtually across Ontario via PHIPA-compliant video. All services are available virtually to any Ontario resident. No referral required.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth getting assessed for ADHD or autism as an adult?
Yes. A diagnosis in adulthood does not change the past, but it changes everything going forward. It provides a framework for understanding yourself, opens access to supports and accommodations, and often brings significant relief. Many adults describe receiving the results of an assessment as the first time that things finally made sense for them.
I function well at work. Could I still have ADHD?
Yes. Many adults with ADHD have built systems and compensatory strategies that mask the diagnosis from the outside. This is often part of the reason that the diagnosis was missed for so long. That said, functioning does not mean thriving. If it takes enormous effort to do what others seem to do easily, then that effort itself is significant and worth understanding.
I am a woman in my 40s. Could I have had autism my whole life without knowing?
Yes, and this is an experience that is increasingly recognized in the research. Autism in women has historically been underdiagnosed because the presentation often differs from the classic profile. Many women receive their first diagnosis in midlife and describe it as finally making sense of a lifetime of experiences: the masking, the exhaustion, and the sense of never quite fitting in.
How is this different from an online ADHD quiz or a GP checklist?
A comprehensive assessment conducted by a doctoral-level psychologist involves a thorough clinical interview, standardized psychological testing, a detailed review of your history and collateral information, and a written report with specific findings and recommendations. It is meaningfully different from a screening tool or a checklist, and it produces a document that can be used for workplace accommodations, academic support, and treatment planning.
What if I've already been diagnosed with anxiety or depression — could I also have ADHD or autism?
Yes, and this is common. Anxiety and depression are frequently the presenting diagnosis when ADHD or autism is the underlying pattern. A formal assessment can help to clarify what is driving what, and whether previous diagnoses are complete.
Do you do assessments specifically for women?
Yes. ADHD assessment for women in Toronto and autism assessment for women are areas of particular focus for our team. Both conditions are chronically underdiagnosed in women and girls in generalist settings, and we assess with that reality in mind.
Do I need a referral for an ADHD or autism assessment in Toronto?
No. You can contact us directly. No referral from a physician or psychiatrist is required. Many people don’t realize that they can self-refer for a formal psychological assessment.
Are assessments at your practice covered by OHIP?
Private practice services are not covered by OHIP. Coverage may be available through extended health benefits, as many plans cover the services of a registered psychologist. We recommend confirming with your provider before commencing an assessment.
Can I be seen virtually?
Yes. All services are available virtually via PHIPA-compliant video for any Ontario resident.
Life is complicated. We give you clarity.
The first step is a brief consultation to help understand what you are looking for.
Email us at [email protected] or complete our contact form online.