Find an affordable assessor, and clear the logistics

The barriers to getting assessed as an adult are cost and admin, and both are solvable. On cost: virtual assessment is often far cheaper than in-person, and a clinic staffed only by ASD/ADHD assessors makes a remote evaluation both comfortable and accurate because they recognise subtle presentations over video. University psychology departments run supervised training clinics that assess at well below market rate. The general principle is to look past the first expensive private clinic — a thorough evaluation can cost a fraction elsewhere, and a clinic that hires neurodivergent staff is worth seeking out.

On admin: the load of arranging an assessment — phone calls, scheduling, gathering documents — is its own executive-function obstacle, and for many people it’s the actual bottleneck, not the assessment itself. Ask a trusted person to make the calls and book the appointments; delegating the logistics can be what makes getting assessed possible at all.

Finally, plan recovery. The assessment can be physically and emotionally draining — sustained attention and processing tasks can exceed capacity — and may trigger a multi-day shutdown afterwards. Schedule it with no demands for several days after, and warn people you may be non-functional.