ADHD & Autism

Acadia Psychiatry offers evaluations for the diagnosis and medication management of ADHD.  When you become a patient at Acadia Psychiatry, you will have your first appointment which is called an "Initial Intake Appointment."  This is an hour long appointment where the provider will complete an initial clinical interview that includes: introduction, purpose, presenting problem, psychiatric history, medical history, childhood development history, substance use history, family psychiatric and medical history, review of systems, mental status examination, risk assessment, and diagnostic impression and plan.

At this point, an ADHD Evaluation can be scheduled which is also a 1 hour appointment.  This appointment is solely focused on evaluating you specifically for ADHD.

Acadia Psychiatry offers evaluations for the diagnosis and management of Autism.  Similar to the above, a patient must first have an "Initial Intake Appointment" before having an Autism Evaluation.

Neuropsychological testing is a type of assessment that measures how well your brain is working by looking at thinking skills, behavior, and emotions. It’s often used by a psychologist to understand how changes in the brain—due to injury, illness, or developmental conditions—are affecting everyday abilities.

• Areas measured usually include memory, attention, language, problem-solving, processing speed, visuospatial skills, and sometimes mood or personality.
   
• Tools used are structured tests—some might feel like puzzles, word games, memory tasks, or timed exercises.
   
• Who does it: A neuropsychologist (a psychologist with extra training in brain–behavior relationships) administers and interprets the tests.
   
• Why it’s done: To help diagnose conditions (like dementia, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, stroke effects, multiple sclerosis), track changes over time, guide rehabilitation, or inform educational/work accommodations.

No, we do not.  We offer ADHD and Autism Evaluations specifically.

The difference mainly comes down to scope and focus — neuropsychological testing is broad, while ADHD and autism evaluations are more targeted. 

 1. Neuropsychological Testing

• Scope: Looks at the full range of brain-related cognitive abilities — memory, attention, processing speed, problem-solving, language, visual–spatial skills, fine motor coordination, and sometimes mood/personality.
   
• Goal: To get a detailed “map” of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, often after brain injury, stroke, dementia suspicion, or complex diagnostic questions.
   
• Outcome: A broad cognitive profile, which may incidentally reveal ADHD or autism traits, but that’s not always the primary purpose.
   

2. ADHD Evaluation

• Scope: Focused mostly on attention, impulse control, and executive function (planning, organization, working memory).
   
• Goal: Determine if symptoms meet criteria for ADHD and rule out other causes (like anxiety, depression, sleep disorders).
   
• Tools: Rating scales (self, parent, teacher), interviews, sometimes brief cognitive tasks — usually shorter than a full neuropsych battery.
   

3. Autism Evaluation

• Scope: Looks at social communication skills, restricted/repetitive behaviors, sensory sensitivities, and developmental history.
   
• Goal: Determine if criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are met, and understand the individual’s strengths and needs.
   
• Tools: Autism-specific assessments (e.g., ADOS-2, ADI-R), observation, developmental history interviews, sometimes combined with parts of cognitive testing.
   

In short:

• Neuropsych testing = wide-angle lens, measures many brain functions.
   
• ADHD eval = zoom lens on attention and executive function.
   
• Autism eval = zoom lens on social communication, behavior patterns, and development.
   
• Sometimes, a full neuropsych evaluation will include the ADHD and/or autism components if those are part of the referral question.

An ADHD eval is more about diagnosis and treatment decision-making and less about producing a 10–20 page cognitive profile report. It’s typically completed in 1–2 sessions rather than multiple hours of testing.   An ADHD evaluation is usually 1–2 visits, heavily interview-based with some rating scales, focusing on diagnosis and treatment planning.
Neuropsychological testing can take hours and uses a battery of cognitive performance tasks. 

At Acadia Psychiatry, we can diagnose ADHD and Autism in addition to prescribing and managing the medication to treat the condition.