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Adult ADHD Diagnosis—It’s Worth The Journey

11/6/2023

by Keith Carman

I can’t believe it happened to me.
At the recommendation of my child’s school, I took him for an Attentional Assessment. He struggled with focus at school, staying on-task, and generally getting things done.

While I initially chalked it up to lack of initiative and pure laziness, guess what? His assessment resulted in an ADHD diagnosis.

Of course, that opened my eyes to the challenges he faces daily, explained a lot of frustrations we’ve had as parents and created a map for him as an individual and us as a family moving forward. Seeing him excel and succeed has only made me happily admit I was wrong about my initial preconceptions.

So, what was the big shock?

Realizing that while we were going through the Attentional Assessment process and looking into his resulting ADHD, I felt that many aspects were hitting incredibly close to home.

Could I, a middle-aged adult, actually have ADHD? Perish the thought!

Still, I guess there’s only one way to find out…

Fast-forward a few weeks, and a full Adult Attentional Assessment later. Guess what?

I, a middle-aged adult, have ADHD. Apparently—and in retrospect, obviously—I always have, but given aged stigmas, a lack or absence of information (and some misinformation), I slipped through the cracks for five decades.

Now, in my personal circumstances, that lack of an ADHD diagnosis didn’t prove incredibly harmful to my mental or physical state, my overall relationships or my employment history. Yet, it could have. It could easily have resulted in many missteps, causing relationship woes, substance abuse issues and employment strife.

Still, having an ADHD diagnosis halfway through life…how could THAT be worthwhile?

I’ll tell you that it surely was. Not only did it explain a LOT of my past behaviours, choices and such—echoing all we learned about my son with his diagnosis—but it also helped strengthen the bond with my child. We understand/support one another’s ups and downs with ADHD and even call one another out when we’re using it as a crutch to underperform. It has helped my partner appreciate how my mind operates.

Most importantly? It helped me learn who I am here and now, where I deserve to be going forward, and how I can get there with the superpower that is ADHD—all thanks to one simple Attentional Assessment.

I’m an adult with late-diagnosis ADHD and am proud to admit it.

The Advantages of Assessment

11/3/2023

Psychoeducational (Learning Disability) and Attentional (ADHD/ADD) assessments provide numerous benefits for individuals facing challenges with their academic and professional performance. Here are some advantages of having an assessment:

Early Identification and Intervention: Psychoeducational and Attentional assessments will identify learning challenges when conducted in a child’s formative years. At Artemis, our assessments are entirely confidential and do not need to be shared with anyone outside our facility. Early identification allows timely intervention and support, significantly improving a child’s learning trajectory and development.
Later Identification: Being identified with a learning disability before high school, post-secondary education, or even in late adulthood can be incredibly beneficial. Identification can help students understand why they have struggled in previous years and help them better manage their workload as the demands increase. Many individuals find relief and better understand themselves when diagnosed in late adulthood. Take a look here to read more about one individual’s experience.
Accurate Diagnosis: The assessments at Artemis use standardized tests and comprehensive observations to accurately diagnose an individual’s specific learning challenges. A precise diagnosis avoids mislabeling an individual and ensures appropriate support and accommodations.
Understanding Diverse Learners: Assessments uncover how an individual learns new information and how they best demonstrate what they learn. This allows educators to tailor their teaching methods and materials to provide the best learning experience for each student.
Academic Accommodations: Students become eligible for accommodations to their learning environment with a formal diagnosis. Things such as extended time on tests, the use of assistive technology, smaller class sizes, non-distractible settings, and attending on a partial load basis may be provided, depending on the diagnosis. These accommodations are used to level the playing field, ensuring that students with learning disabilities have equal opportunities to succeed academically.
Financial Assistance: If an individual is diagnosed with a learning disability, some financial support may become available to them, depending on the severity of their diagnosis. OSAP has a bursary for learning-disabled students. The Disability Tax Credit Certificate may be available for individuals with more severe needs.
Boosting Self-Esteem: Proper identification can help students understand that their challenges do not indicate their intelligence or abilities. Experiencing success in school due to accommodations in the learning environment can improve their self-esteem and confidence. In turn, this can encourage in them a positive attitude toward learning and personal growth.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP): An assessment necessitates the creation of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP outlines the specific goals, accommodations, and support services that will be provided to the student to help them succeed. The assessment helps direct the creation of the IEP by providing an accurate diagnosis and specific accommodations tailored to the individual.
Parental Involvement and Knowledge: All assessments involve the parents in the process, from providing developmental information about the student to filling out questionnaires to attending the feedback session where the diagnosis is presented. This provides parents with valuable insights into their child’s learning profile, helping them support their learning better needs at home and in collaboration with educators. It can also provide some insight into their own challenges with learning.
Tailored Teaching Strategies: For educators, learning disability assessments and attentional assessments provide valuable information about how to best teach individual students and how to best assess each student’s abilities.
Future Planning: Post-secondary institutions require an assessment to provide accommodations. As individuals transition to higher education, they must be assessed, particularly if they have received accommodations in earlier academic years. Assessment can also help to guide career choices by helping to determine an individual’s suitability for academic and workplace requirements.
In the Workplace: Legislation is now in place that requires employers to provide appropriate accommodations for identified learning-disabled individuals. From assistive technology to non-distractible settings, assessment can provide critical indicators of how employers can help employees be successful in their chosen occupation.

Learning disability and attentional assessments are vital in promoting inclusivity, empowering individuals to reach their full potential, and fostering a positive learning environment that recognizes and celebrates individual differences. By addressing learning challenges head-on, individuals can thrive academically and develop self-confidence and independence.

In the Workplace, Accommodation Is the Law

10/30/2023

Learning disability assessement provides critical indicators for how employers can help employees become successful. Employers must provide accommodations for learning disability-identified individuals.

Future Planning

10/27/2023

Post secondary schools require specific learning disabilities assessments to provide accommodations. Assessment can help guide career choices by determining suitability for academic and workplace requirements.

Tailored Teaching Strategies

10/23/2023

For educators, learning disability screenings provide valuable infomration about how best to teach individual students and how to best assess each student's abilities.

Parental Knowledge

10/20/2023

Psychoeducational assessments involve parents in the process. They gain vaulable insights that help them support their child at home and school. Parents might gain insight into their own struggles.

Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

10/16/2023

An IEP must be created after an assessment. The IEP outlines goals, accommodations and support services that will be provided to the student.

Boosting Self-Esteem

10/13/2023

Learning challenges DO NOT indicate intelligence or abilities. The experience of success in school due to accommodation can imrpove self-esteem and confidence.

Financial Assistance

10/9/2023

When diagnosed, some financial suport may become available, such as:

OSAP Bursaries for learning disabled students.
The Disability Tax Credit Certificate.

Level the Playing Field With Academic Accommodations

10/6/2023

Level the playing field with Academic Accommodations such as:

Extended Test Times
Assistive Technology
Smaller Class Sizes
Non-Distractible Settings
Attendance on a Partial-Load Basis