A lot of adults arrive at the idea of getting assessed for ADHD or autism the same way: something they always attributed to personality, a childhood label they never questioned, or a coping strategy they built without realizing it was compensating for something that stops fully working. Often it happens around a life change like a new job, a move, or becoming a parent, when the systems you quietly relied on for years no longer have enough room to run.
For some people, that shows up as burnout. For others, it is a conversation with a friend or a video online that finally names something they have circled around for decades. Either way, the question that follows is usually the same:
Is this ADHD or autism, and if it is, what do I do with that now?
Identifying ADHD or Autism: Signs worth paying attention to
For ADHD, that can look like chronic difficulty starting or finishing tasks that matter to you, losing time to hyperfocus on some things while others get abandoned entirely, or a lifelong sense of trying harder than everyone else just to keep up, without an explanation that ever fully fit. It can also show up as a pattern of jobs or relationships that started strong and then fell apart once the initial structure or novelty wore off, or a history of being called smart but inconsistent, which tends to sting more than people expect it to.
For autism, it can look like exhaustion after socializing that rest alone does not resolve, a strong need for routine and predictability, or sensory sensitivities you have organized your life around without naming them as that: the lighting you avoid, the fabrics you cannot wear, the restaurants you have quietly stopped suggesting. It can also be a suspicion that you have been masking, consciously adjusting your tone, expressions, and behavior to meet social expectations, for most of your life, and a fatigue that comes from keeping that up in nearly every room you enter.
Neither list is exhaustive, and both realities look different across different people. Presentation varies by upbringing, by what you had to adapt to and when, and by how much support or scrutiny you had growing up. Women and people who developed strong compensating strategies early are especially likely to be missed, sometimes for decades, because their version of ADHD or autism did not match what a teacher, a parent, or a pediatrician was trained to look for.
Why a formal ADHD or Autism assessment can be helpful
A formal, neurodivergent-affirming assessment does more than assign a label. It can clarify which parts of your experience come from ADHD or autism specifically, versus anxiety, depression, or personality traits that only look similar on the surface, and it gives language to patterns that may have felt like personal failings for a long time.
Many of the adults who come to us for assessment have spent years trying to adapt to systems that were not built with them in mind: school schedules, office environments, social norms that assumed everyone processes information and connection the same way. That adaptation takes real energy, and it rarely gets acknowledged, because from the outside it can look like things are working fine. An assessment gives you a way to understand what that adaptation has cost, and what kind of support or accommodation would fit how your brain works instead of asking you to keep adjusting around a mold that was never built for you.
Our neurodivergent-affirming approach to assessment
We approach assessment the way we approach therapy: without pressure to mask, without an expectation that you fit a neurotypical mold, and without pathologizing your way of being. The goal of the process is for you to walk away feeling seen, supported, and validated for who you are, whatever the results turn out to show.
That framing matters because it is different from how neurodivergence has traditionally been approached, including in some other treatment models. Applied Behavior Analysis, for example, focuses on changing behaviors by rewarding certain actions and discouraging others, often with the goal of making someone behave more like a neurotypical person. Our approach is built on the opposite premise. We are working to understand and support you, including your neurotype, rather than train it out of you. An assessment here is not a search for what is wrong. It is a chance to get an accurate picture of how you think, process, and relate to the world, so that whatever comes next- therapy, accommodations, or simply a clearer understanding of yourself- fits.
We are also a DBT-Linehan Board Certified Program, one of two in New Jersey and fewer than forty worldwide. That certification reflects a level of training and adherence to the model that we hold ourselves to across every part of our practice, assessment included, and it is part of why clients travel to our Voorhees Township and Moorestown offices from across South Jersey and Philadelphia.
What each assessment level includes
We currently offer these assessments for adults only, not teens or children, and we offer them at three levels depending on what you are looking for.
- General Consultation: This is a one-hour session for people who are not sure yet whether a full assessment is the right next step. You bring your questions, your history, and whatever uncertainty you are sitting with, and we talk through what an assessment could and could not tell you, along with resources that might help even if you decide not to move forward with formal testing.
- Informal Assessment: This level includes a one-hour clinical interview and a one-hour feedback session, and you leave with a summary letter outlining what we observed and discussed. It is worth being clear about what this is not: it is not a formal diagnosis. It is a structured, clinically informed conversation that can help you understand your patterns more clearly and decide whether a full evaluation makes sense.
- Comprehensive Assessment: This is our most thorough option, built for people who want a complete clinical picture. It includes a two-hour clinical interview, a sensory profile assessment, and a set of standardized tools chosen to capture both ADHD and autism presentations: the RAADS-R, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Monotropism Questionnaire, the Brown Scale, the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS-1), the Adult Sensory Inventory, and the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum (MIGDAS). Together, these tools are designed to look at attention, sensory processing, social communication, and monotropic thinking from several angles rather than relying on a single measure.
If you are not sure which level fits, that is a completely reasonable place to start, and it is exactly what the General Consultation is for. Our Intake Coordinator can also walk you through the differences and help you book a call before you commit to anything.
If this sounds like you…
If you have always had an explanation for how you operate that never quite covered everything, it may be worth exploring that further. Getting clarity later in life is common, and for a lot of people it turns out to be both a relief and a useful tool going forward, something that reframes years of self-criticism into an accurate account of how your brain works. DBT skills can also support the emotional regulation, communication, and self-understanding that often come alongside a new diagnosis, whether or not you choose to pursue DBT treatment afterward.
Start an ADHD or Autism Assessment in Moorestown or Voorhees, NJ
If any part of this has been sitting with you, you do not need to have it all figured out before you reach out. Our Intake Coordinator can answer questions about current costs, timing, and which assessment level makes sense for where you are right now, whether that is a quick General Consultation or the full Comprehensive Assessment. We offer these assessments in person at our Voorhees Township and Moorestown offices, and virtually from anywhere in New Jersey if that fits your schedule better. Follow these three simple steps to get started:
- Book a call to speak with our intake coordinator to see if therapy is right for you.
- Begin meeting with a skilled therapist.
- Build the skills you need to thrive!
Other Services Offered at DBT of South Jersey
At DBT of South Jersey, we offer a wide range of therapeutic services to support your mental health journey. Specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we help individuals manage intense emotions, build healthy relationships, and develop effective coping strategies. In addition to supporting you with DBT, we provide individual counseling, therapy for teens and children, trauma therapy, therapy for OCD and anxiety, therapy for anxiety, sadness, and self-doubt, as well as couples and family therapy. We are also proud to offer LGBTQIA+ affirmative therapy, veterans services, holistic healing, Reiki, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) to help clients heal from trauma and emotional distress. Whether you’re navigating personal challenges or looking to enhance your well-being, our compassionate team of expert therapists is here to help you create the life you deserve.