IN-PERSON IN HICKORY NC ONLINE ACROSS NC
Women’s ADHD and Autism Assessments
Wondering if it's ADHD, autism, or both?
You've always felt different, but never quite understood why.
You've studied the social cues, learned the rules, and figured out how to fit in. Yet somehow, you still feel like the outsider in your own friend circle.
You've built an elaborate system of calendars, checklists, and sticky notes. And you still forget what day it is.
You've created a successful life through a combination of giftedness, determination, and sheer grit. But the demands of work, relationships, and motherhood are stretching you beyond what your carefully constructed systems can manage. Especially now that you are entering perimenopause-early!
You're exhausted by how much you notice, how deeply you feel things, and how difficult it can be to shut the world out.
Maybe you've been told it's anxiety, depression, or OCD. Some of those explanations may have made sense, but none seemed to capture the whole picture.
Now you're wondering whether ADHD, autism, or both might help explain the patterns you've been navigating for years.
Does Any of This Feel Familiar?
You love your kids, but their shrieks, smells, and messes leave you easily frustrated, even though you know it's all age-appropriate.
You're the one everyone relies on, yet your relationships too often lack reciprocity.
You're highly empathetic and struggle to observe without absorbing the emotions of others and your surroundings.
You shut down when the phone rings and prefer texting because you need time to prepare and rehearse conversations.
You're entering perimenopause, and life feels like it’s collapsing in slow motion. Yet your OB-GYN tells you you're too young.
You’ve been told you're antisocial, too direct, or guarded, yet you feel right at home with your neurodivergent friends who don’t seem to mind.
Why This Work Is Personal
I received my own neurodivergent diagnosis in my early 50s, after decades of navigating life without fully understanding why some things felt so much harder than they seemed to for others.
I can attest to the value clarity brings as you begin connecting the invisible threads of your life experiences and finally find words for the why behind the what.
For me, and for many women exploring late-identified neurodivergence, those threads may include:
Relational or developmental trauma
Educational double binds, where you were seen as capable without anyone considering your actual capacity
Unexplained inflammation, autoimmune conditions, or chronic migraines
PMDD, PCOS, or MCAS
Perimenopause that arrives earlier than expected or feels especially difficult
Sensory sensitivities or identifying as a highly sensitive person (HSP)
Growing up as the parentified or "responsible" child
These experiences don't establish ADHD or autism, and their relationships to neurodivergence vary. Some have emerging research associations, while others reflect patterns women recognize in their personal histories.
Your story matters.
I know firsthand what it's like to build a life around adapting, compensating, and pushing through, often without recognizing how much effort it takes.
That experience is part of why I'm passionate about helping women explore ADHD, autism, or both later in life. I bring both professional training and lived experience to this work, along with an understanding of how easily neurodivergence can go unrecognized in women who've spent years holding everything together.
I also understand that clarity can bring grief. A late diagnosis may lead you to revisit decades of experiences, question long-held beliefs about yourself, and begin deconstructing an identity built around adapting and meeting others' expectations. I'm passionate about supporting women through that process, including the grief of what went unrecognized and the work of discovering who they are when they no longer mask in service of being more palliative to a world that’s largely neurotypical.
How it works
A Neurodivergence Assessment that Considers the Whole Picture
Rather than assessing ADHD or autism in isolation, we'll consider both, along with your developmental history, strengths, challenges, and other experiences that provide context for the patterns you've navigated for years.
As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in North Carolina, C006722, I provide clinical diagnostic assessments within my professional scope of practice.
What's Included
Online intake and assessment measures: A detailed developmental and clinical history, along with self-administered ADHD and autism measures.
One virtual clinical interview: Time to explore your experiences, clarify findings, and better understand your clinical picture.
Clinical interpretation: A careful review of your history, measures, and interview to determine whether diagnostic criteria are met or further evaluation is needed.
Written report: Clinical findings, diagnostic conclusions when supported, and recommendations for next steps.
Assessment Fee: $1,495
The flat fee includes up to six hours of direct and indirect clinical time, including clinical intake, your virtual interview, diagnostic interpretation, and report preparation.
A $500 deposit is required to reserve your appointment and is collected at time of scheduling, with the remaining $995 due according to your assessment agreement. Acceptable forms of payment are HSA/Flex Spending, Credit Cards, and Debit Cards. Due to high demand, the deposit is required to reserve an assessment appointment, reduce the average 12 month waitlist, and keep availability open for women who are ready.
The assessment is available as a standalone service or an addition to ongoing therapy. If neuro-affirming women’s therapy is recommended, you are welcome to work with me or a provider of your choice elsewhere.
The Scope of Your Assessment
This clinical diagnostic assessment considers ADHD, autism, or both. Findings may support a diagnosis, identify other possible explanations, or indicate that further psychological, psychiatric, or medical evaluation is recommended. The assessment is available as a standalone service or an elective ‘add on’ to current client’s individual therapy. There is no obligation to transition to individual therapy with me, although many find that the best next step.
North Carolina law authorizes LCSWs to make clinical diagnoses within their professional scope of practice and competence. Read NC General Statute §90B-3.
This is not a comprehensive psychological, neuropsychological, or vocational evaluation. It does not include IQ testing, cognitive testing batteries, or forensic assessment. The report is not designed for SSI disability determinations, court proceedings, vocational rehabilitation, or other purposes requiring specialized or court ordered evaluations.
The purpose is clarity about your experiences and a better understanding of what comes next.
faqs
Frequently Asked Questions About Women's ADHD & Autism Assessments in Hickory, NC
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Yes. North Carolina Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) are authorized to diagnose mental and emotional disorders within their scope of practice and professional competence. This can include ADHD, autism, or both when supported by the clinician's training and assessment findings.
You can read more about this authority in the North Carolina Social Work Practice Act.
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My assessment focuses on your developmental history, lived experiences, clinical observations, and ADHD and autism assessment measures to determine whether diagnostic criteria are met.
A comprehensive psychological or neuropsychological evaluation may include specialized testing of intellectual functioning, memory, cognitive abilities, or learning differences.
My written report documents clinical findings, diagnostic conclusions when supported, and recommendations. It is not designed for SSI disability determinations, court proceedings, or other purposes requiring specialized evaluations.
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Yes. New client stand alone independent neurodivergence assessments are conducted virtually and require both client and myself to be in NC during appointment.
You'll complete your intake paperwork and assessment measures online before we meet for one virtual clinical interview. This allows me to review your responses ahead of time and focus our conversation on the areas that need a closer look.
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The purpose of an assessment is clarity, not a guaranteed diagnosis.
Your findings may support ADHD, autism, both, or neither. Sometimes the results suggest another explanation or indicate that further psychological, psychiatric, or medical evaluation would be helpful.
We'll consider what the findings mean for your experiences and identify appropriate next steps.
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Absolutely. You can schedule a neurodivergence assessment as a standalone service, even if you're not interested in ongoing therapy.
If therapy is recommended afterward, you're welcome to work with me or another provider of your choice. There's no requirement to begin or continue therapy. Although may find it the next best step.
Depending on your needs, you may also find my burnout therapy or anxiety and perfectionism therapy services helpful.
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Neurodivergence can influence communication, emotional regulation, sensory needs, expectations, and how partners interpret each other's behavior.
For some women, heightened sensitivity to perceived rejection or criticism can make conflict especially painful. Therapy helps distinguish neurodivergent differences from learned protective patterns, reduce misunderstandings, and develop approaches that respect both people's needs.
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My practice is 100% self-pay because I choose to work for you (client) not them (insurance). This allows me to work directly for you, rather than having an insurance company determine the scope, limitations, DX restrictions, or direction of our work.
Most insurance plans do not cover assessments they consider non-medically necessary, ‘elective’, or outside of approved diagnosis, preauthorization, or appeal.
I encourage you to check with your insurance provider before scheduling if reimbursement is important to you. Ask if adult elective assessments are covered and process for you to request financial reimbursement of your paid invoice.
WHAT IF THE DANCE COULD CHANGE, EVEN IF THEY DIDN’T?