What happens after an ADHD or autism assessment
Getting the report is the part everyone plans for. What comes after it is the part that actually changes how your weeks go, and it is where most people are left to work it out alone.
THE PART NOBODY PREPARES YOU FOR
A diagnosis explains the past. It does not automatically change the present.
Most people describe the same two things in the weeks after an assessment. The first is relief, because years of difficulty finally have a name that is not a character flaw. The second is a flatness that arrives shortly afterwards, once it becomes clear that understanding why something has been hard does not, by itself, make it easier.
That gap is normal, and it is also the point at which support matters most. The report tells you how your attention, executive functioning or sensory processing actually work. Turning that into different mornings, a workable system, or a job you can sustain is separate work, and it is the work we do after the assessment is finished.
You do not need to have been assessed with us to start. If you were diagnosed elsewhere, bring the documentation you have.
AFTER AN ADHD DIAGNOSIS
Two things work, and they work best together.
Research on multimodal treatment consistently indicates that combining medication with skills training produces better outcomes than either approach used alone. That is worth knowing early, because people are often presented with the two as though they have to pick one.
Skills training, with us
Our ADHD skills program runs over eight sessions and is built around how an ADHD brain actually operates, rather than asking you to try harder at systems designed for someone else. It covers:
Externalising memory and planning so less depends on holding things in your head
Building routines that survive a bad week rather than only working on a good one
Managing time blindness, task initiation, and the gap between intention and action
Reducing the shame and self-criticism that usually arrive long before the diagnosis does
Communicating what you need at work or in study without over-explaining yourself
Medication, through a prescriber
Psychologists cannot prescribe medication in Australia. If medication is something you want to consider, we can refer you on to a GP or psychiatrist who can assess whether it is appropriate for you.
Being referred is not a commitment to taking anything. It is a conversation with someone qualified to have it, and plenty of people have that conversation and decide against medication, or decide to revisit it later.
If you do start medication, skills work tends to become more effective rather than less necessary. Medication can make it possible to act on a strategy. It does not supply the strategy.
AFTER AN AUTISM DIAGNOSIS
Support that starts from your profile, not from a deficit.
Our Autism Support and Growth Program is structured skill-building for autistic adults and adolescents following assessment. The goal is not to help you appear less autistic. It is to reduce the demands that cause harm, understand your own profile properly, and build approaches that work with how you process the world.
The program is available after assessment with us, or with existing assessment documentation from elsewhere.
PROGRAM MODULES
Understanding Autism
Masking and Authenticity
Managing Sensory Overload
Self-Care and Routines
Communication and Relationships
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions after a diagnosis.
The assessment itself typically spans three sessions of around 50 minutes, usually one to two weeks apart, and the full process from first session to written report generally takes two to four weeks. The report is yours to keep and to share with a GP, psychiatrist, employer or education provider as you choose.
No. Psychologists cannot prescribe medication in Australia. If medication is something you want to explore after your assessment, we can refer you to a GP or psychiatrist. Research on multimodal treatment indicates that combining medication with skills training produces better outcomes than either approach on its own, which is why we treat the two as complementary rather than as a choice between them.
No. Some people find the diagnosis itself is the thing that reframes years of difficulty, and they want nothing further for now. Others want structured support straight away. Both are reasonable, and you can return to it later if the timing is wrong at the moment.
Yes. The Autism Support and Growth Program is available following assessment with us or with existing assessment documentation from elsewhere. If you were diagnosed with ADHD elsewhere, you can book directly into therapy or skills work without repeating the assessment.
No. You can book directly with any of our psychologists without a GP referral. A referral is only needed if you want to claim the Medicare rebate of $101.55 per session, which requires a Mental Health Care Plan prepared by your GP. Note that Medicare rebates apply to therapy sessions, not to assessment fees.
Diagnosed, and not sure what now?
No referral required. Book an appointment, or contact us for a free intake call to talk through which pathway makes sense for you.
FROM THE BLOG