ADHD Assessment | Are ADHD Assessments Covered By Insurance
Getting an ADHD Assessment, and subsequent diagnosis is life changing for most afflicted with this disorder. Whether it’s a child struggling in school, a teenager wondering why they have to work harder than their peers to get half as much accomplished. Or even adults, who realize that they aren’t lazy or disorganized, many people who have a suspicion that they, their child, spouse, friend or family member has ADHD can benefit greatly from an assessment.
While various health professionals can diagnose ADHD, like physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists and nurse practitioners, it’s often psychologists who do the ADHD Assessment, such as Clarke Psychology in Edmonton. It’s always advised to speak to your doctor or pediatrician prior to an assessment, as some symptoms can also be caused by other health conditions. But once the doctor has ruled out any existing health issue, many people seek an ADHD assessment to confirm what they’ve suspected for years.
Does The Assessment Cost Money?
This is not as clear an answer as many people want. Many people would like to get an ADHD assessment done either on themselves, a child or for a loved one. While Alberta Health will pay for a medical doctor to get an assessment done, many physicians lack the time, technology or understanding to make a good diagnosis. In fact, this has lead to the inattentive type of ADHD – the kind that affects more females than any other gender – being underdiagnosed.
The consequences is that many women enter into adulthood with low self esteem and the mistaken belief that they could have achieved more if they simply “tried harder”.
Get a professional to help
Therefore, many physicians are suggesting reaching out to many mental health professionals, like Clarke Psychology for their own ADHD Assessment. Unfortunately, Alberta Health does not cover assessments or services provided by a healthcare professional other than a physician, including a psychologist. This leads many people to draw the conclusion that they must pay for the assessment out of their own pocket.
The good news however, is that most insurance plans, like blue cross, or employer benefit companies do cover ADHD assessments either completely, or a portion. Some will allow direct billing, while other companies will reimburse you, after submitting a receipt. For many adults who have struggled their whole life, or for parents who want to help their children, this is a small price to pay to get peace of mind with a diagnosis, and a treatment plan for overcoming their difficulties.
ADHD Assessment | Where to Get An Assessment
While many people approach their doctor for an ADHD assessment first, they often leave frustrated. Not only are medical doctors not well versed with this neurodevelopment disorder, and there’s not one diagnostic tool that diagnoses ADHD, making it harder to suss out. And once they do diagnose a patient – mostly the hyperactive or impulsive type – their treatment approach is generally to try medication first.
This is difficult at the best of times, since there are so many different medications used to treat ADHD – stimulants, non-stimulants and antidepressants. And medication doesn’t work for all patients. For those who do benefit from medication, usually, only one type of medication at a specific dose works for a patient. Which means patients will cycle through a stream of drugs and doses, not always getting the help they need.
This is why many people opt to reach out to a psychologist office, such as Clarke Psychology in Edmonton for an assessment, as well as treatment for ADHD. They have a deeper understanding of all neurodevelopmental disorders, and have different tools than a medical doctor in getting a diagnosis. They are less likely to overlook the inattentive type presentation, and dive deeper into the patient’s life, asking those closest to the patient to fill in a questionnaire about the patient.
Once they have a diagnosis, they have many more tools at their disposal, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), skills training, psychological counseling (psychotherapy) and if they believe the patient can benefit from medication, they can make a recommendation for the patient’s doctor to prescribe.
Moving Forward With ADHD
For children and adults alike who get an ADHD diagnosis, it is life changing and affirming. They start to understand that there was a reason behind their struggle, and their challenges were not because they were lazy or didn’t try hard enough. They can start therapy with their psychologist and start to learn skills that can help them overcome their problems. Teachers can accommodate their student, and spouses can learn how they can support their partner.
People may be relieved to learn that about half of all ADHD symptoms resolve into adulthood. While the ADHD symptoms change into adulthood, if children are diagnosed, they can develop strategies to overcome their struggles. If people get an ADHD assessment as an adult, the diagnosis can be like turning the light on in a dark room – suddenly many things start to make sense, and they know where they can turn to for help!
When It’s Not ADHD
If they don’t have ADHD after their ADHD assessment, the psychologist will suggest other potential causes for their symptoms. For example, parents and teachers suspect ADHD when their child finishes school work sloppily, not paying attention in class, and acting out. The ADHD assessment doesn’t diagnose them with ADHD, but the psychologist recommends vision therapist, who diagnoses a vision disorder, such as amblyopia or strabismus.
The child isn’t paying attention and turning in sloppy work because they have trouble focusing their eyes. They get out of their desk, because they are bored when they can’t physically see or focus on the lesson. Vision therapy then corrects the problem.
Contact Today
If people would like to proceed with an ADHD assessment for themselves or their child, they should contact Clarke Psychology. The caring staff will use their expertise to diagnose the patient, and help them with a treatment plan moving forward. Life after diagnosis can be beautiful!