Maybe a friend’s diagnosis made you look at your own life differently. Maybe you’ve always felt slightly out of step with everyone around you, without quite knowing why. Realising, as an adult, that ADHD or autism might explain a lot of your experience is common — and can bring up a lot of questions about what to do next.
You don’t need to have it figured out to start
Formal assessment is one path, but it isn’t the only starting point, and it isn’t required before you can begin making sense of your experience or getting support. Many adults spend time exploring the question — reading, reflecting, talking with a therapist — well before (or instead of) pursuing formal diagnosis.
Some non-clinical starting points
A few things that can help you start to explore this for yourself:
- Reflecting on your history, not just your current struggles — patterns often go back much further than people realise, even if they weren’t named at the time.
- Reading from neurodivergent voices, including first-person accounts from late-diagnosed or self-identified ADHD and autistic adults, which can offer language for experiences you may not have had words for.
- Talking it through with a therapist who takes an affirming, non-judgmental approach — this can help you explore what fits, without needing a label to be taken seriously.
When (and if) formal assessment might help
Formal assessment can be useful for some people — for access to certain supports, workplace accommodations, or simply the clarity of an official diagnosis. It’s a decision worth making at your own pace, and it’s completely valid to decide it’s not necessary for you right now, or ever.
Where therapy fits
Therapy can support you in exploring this question, whether or not you ever pursue formal assessment. It’s worth knowing upfront: this kind of therapy is support and exploration, not assessment or diagnosis in itself.
If this sounds like where you’re at, you can read more about ADHD and autism affirming therapy, or begin an enquiry to arrange a free 15-minute call.