Adult Autism & ADHD Assessments, Demystified (Dr. Megan Anna Neff and Dr. Jess Hogan)

What actually happens in an adult autism assessment, and is it worth it? In this deep dive, I sit down with Dr. Jess Hogan, a fellow AuDHD psychologist, to demystify adult autism, ADHD, and AuDHD assessments: where to start, what affirming assessment looks like, and the red flags to watch for.

This conversation is for late-identified and self-identified Autistic, ADHD, and AuDHD adults, and for clinicians who want to assess in a more affirming way.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Why assessments feel so mysterious 

2:04 Should I get assessed? Benefits, identity, and imposter feelings 

6:24 Knowing your why: identity vs. disability services 

8:00 Where to start (and misdiagnosis vs. diagnostic overshadowing) 

12:35 Types of assessments: neuropsych, comprehensive, and ADHD-specific 

14:51 Why everyone's assessment experience is so different 

18:56 Private vs. insurance, and who can diagnose 

26:40 Masking, compensation, and non-stereotypical presentations 

32:36 Measures explained: CAT-Q, MIGDAS-2, DIVA-5 34:54 Questions to ask a potential assessor (and how to prepare) 

39:35 "You're not autistic": second opinions 

42:22 ADHD vs. autism assessments, and screeners vs. diagnostics 

50:02 Childhood history (and when parents can't help) 

55:17 AuDHD: when traits mask each other 

1:03:38 Leaving a bad-fit assessor, and the good enough therapist

In this conversation, we explore:

→ Whether an adult autism or ADHD assessment is worth pursuing

→ Misdiagnosis, missed diagnosis, and diagnostic overshadowing

→ Neuropsych vs. comprehensive vs. affirming assessment models

→ How masking and compensation strategies hide autism and ADHD from assessors

→ The measures used in affirming assessments (MIGDAS-2, DIVA-5, CAT-Q)

→ What to do if a parent can't (or won't) confirm your childhood history

→ How AuDHD traits cancel each other out during assessment

→ How to exit a non-affirming assessment process

About Dr. Megan Anna Neff:

Dr. Megan Anna Neff is an Autistic-ADHD clinical psychologist, founder of Neurodivergent Insights, and author of Self-Care for Autistic People and The Autistic Burnout Workbook. She creates research-grounded, identity-affirming resources for neurodivergent adults and the clinicians who support them.

Check out more at neurodivergentinsights.com

About Dr. Jess Hogan:

Dr. Jessica Hogan (she/her) is a Chickasaw, AuDHD, queer, cisgender, hard-of-hearing, and chronically ill licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Minnesota, California, and PSYPACT states. She is the founder of Neuron & Rose, a neurodiversity-affirming practice where she leads an assessment training program for doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. She also runs The Divergent Clinician, where she trains clinicians in affirming autism and ADHD assessment. 

Website (Neuron & Rose): https://www.neuronandrose.com

The Divergent Clinician: https://www.thedivergentclinician.com