Autism & ADHD Evaluations for Adults in Minnesota

Wondering If It Could Be Autism, ADHD, or Both?

Some adults seek an evaluation because they wonder whether they are autistic, have ADHD, or both. White Bear Psychological Services provides comprehensive autism and ADHD evaluations for adults across Minnesota, including combined autism and ADHD assessment and testing.

Autism and ADHD can overlap in areas such as attention, executive functioning, sensory processing, social communication, transitions, emotional regulation, and intense interests. A comprehensive evaluation considers developmental history, current experiences, and other relevant factors to understand which characteristics are related to autism, ADHD, or both.

AuDHD is an informal term commonly used to describe people who are both autistic and have ADHD. An adult autism and ADHD evaluation can help determine whether a person meets diagnostic criteria for autism, ADHD, both, or whether another explanation better accounts for their experiences.

Could It Be Autism, ADHD, or Both?

Autism and ADHD are distinct neurodevelopmental conditions, but they can share some outwardly similar characteristics. Adults may wonder about autism, ADHD, or both when they experience differences or difficulties related to attention, organization, social communication, sensory processing, transitions, emotional regulation, or managing everyday demands.

Some experiences that can lead adults to seek a combined autism and ADHD evaluation include:

  • Difficulty starting, organizing, or completing tasks

  • Attention that varies depending on interest, urgency, or environment

  • Intense interests or periods of deep focus

  • Sensory sensitivities or a strong need to manage sensory input

  • Difficulty shifting attention, changing plans, or moving between tasks

  • Social interactions that require significant thought or effort

  • Feeling overwhelmed by competing demands or too much information

  • A strong need for predictability alongside difficulty maintaining routines

  • Masking or consciously adapting behavior in social, school, or work settings

  • Periods of burnout, overwhelm, anxiety, or feeling that daily life requires more effort than others seem to realize

Similar experiences can sometimes have different underlying explanations. For example, difficulty with transitions may relate to executive functioning, a need for predictability, sensory demands, or several factors working together. This is one reason distinguishing autism from ADHD in adults is not always straightforward. A comprehensive adult autism and ADHD assessment considers the broader developmental picture instead of relying on any single characteristic.

Some adults meet criteria for autism, some for ADHD, and some for both. Anxiety, trauma, OCD, learning differences, mood concerns, and other factors may also be important to understanding a person’s experiences.

Why Autism and ADHD Can Be Difficult to Separate in Adults

Autism and ADHD can affect some of the same areas of daily life, which is one reason they can be difficult to distinguish in adults. Both can involve differences in attention, executive functioning, sensory processing, emotional regulation, social experiences, and managing transitions or competing demands.

The reasons behind these experiences can differ from person to person. For example, someone may have difficulty maintaining attention because a task is not engaging, because the environment is distracting or overwhelming, because shifting attention is difficult, or because several of these factors are present at the same time.

Social experiences can overlap as well. An adult with ADHD may interrupt, lose track of conversations, or miss parts of an interaction because their attention is shifting. An autistic adult may find social communication effortful, rely on learned social strategies, or need more time to process interactions. Some adults experience both.

Masking can make the picture even less obvious. Adults who have spent years observing others, developing scripts, or consciously adapting their behavior may appear socially comfortable while using significant effort to navigate interactions. Adults with ADHD may also develop detailed systems and routines to manage difficulties with organization, time management, or follow-through.

A comprehensive autism and ADHD evaluation looks at these experiences in context, including how they developed over time, what situations make them easier or harder, and how they affect daily life. This helps determine whether autism, ADHD, both, or another explanation best fits the overall picture.

What Does a Combined Autism and ADHD Evaluation Include?

A combined autism and ADHD evaluation considers how different aspects of a person’s development and current experiences fit together. This includes attention, executive functioning, social communication, sensory experiences, interests, routines, emotional well-being, and daily life.

Depending on the individual and the questions being explored, an adult autism and ADHD assessment may include:

  • A detailed developmental and personal history

  • Discussion of current strengths, difficulties, and daily experiences

  • Assessment of attention and executive functioning

  • Evaluation of social communication and relationships

  • Exploration of sensory experiences, interests, routines, and responses to change

  • Consideration of masking and strategies developed over time

  • Cognitive and other psychological testing when clinically useful

  • Questionnaires completed by the individual and, when appropriate, someone who knows them well

  • Consideration of anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, learning differences, and other factors that may overlap with autism or ADHD

The evaluation brings information from these different sources together to determine whether the overall picture is consistent with autism, ADHD, both, or another explanation. It can also identify strengths, areas where support may be helpful, and individualized recommendations for work, school, relationships, and daily life.

A man and woman walking together and smiling

What If I Already Have an ADHD or Autism Diagnosis?

Some adults seek an autism and ADHD evaluation after already being diagnosed with one of the two. An ADHD diagnosis does not rule out autism, and an autism diagnosis does not rule out ADHD. Sometimes, learning about one diagnosis helps a person recognize experiences that it does not fully explain.

Adults who already have an ADHD diagnosis may begin wondering about autism because ADHD alone does not fully account for experiences related to social communication, sensory processing, a strong need for predictability, intense interests, masking, or the amount of effort involved in navigating social situations.

Autistic adults may seek an ADHD evaluation when they also experience ongoing difficulties with attention, organization, time management, task initiation, working memory, or impulsivity.

A combined evaluation considers the existing diagnosis alongside developmental history, current experiences, and assessment findings. This can help determine whether both autism and ADHD are present and provide a more complete understanding of how different aspects of a person’s experience fit together.

What If Anxiety, Trauma, OCD, or Depression Are Also Part of the Picture?

Adults seeking an autism and ADHD evaluation often have other mental health concerns or previous diagnoses as well. Anxiety, depression, trauma, OCD, learning differences, and other factors can affect attention, social experiences, emotional regulation, energy, and daily life.

A comprehensive evaluation considers these possibilities alongside autism and ADHD, especially when experiences overlap. For example, difficulty concentrating can be related to ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, or several factors at once. A strong preference for routines may also have different meanings depending on a person’s developmental history and what those routines provide for them.

Previous diagnoses are considered in context as well. Some adults have received treatment for anxiety, depression, or other concerns for years before beginning to wonder whether autism or ADHD may also be relevant to understanding their experiences.

The evaluation brings these different pieces together to understand which diagnoses are supported, how different factors may interact, and what the person’s strengths, areas of difficulty, and support needs look like in everyday life.

How Does an Adult Autism and ADHD Evaluation Work?

An adult autism and ADHD evaluation typically takes place over several appointments. This allows time to understand developmental history, complete individualized testing, and bring the different sources of information together.

At White Bear Psychological Services, the evaluation process generally includes:

  • Initial interview: We meet virtually to discuss your reasons for seeking an evaluation, developmental and personal history, current experiences, previous diagnoses or treatment, and the questions you hope the evaluation will answer.

  • Testing: Adult autism and ADHD testing is individualized based on the person and the questions being explored. The specific measures used vary from one evaluation to another.

  • Additional information: When helpful and available, questionnaires or developmental information may be gathered from a partner, parent, or another person who knows you well.

  • Feedback and report: We meet with you to discuss the results, any diagnoses that are supported, and what the findings mean in the context of your everyday life. You also receive a written report with individualized recommendations.

The assessment plan is individualized rather than using the same set of tests for every adult. The overall process is designed to answer the specific questions that brought you to the evaluation and provide a more complete understanding of your strengths, areas of difficulty, and support needs.

What Can You Learn From an Adult Autism and ADHD Evaluation?

An adult autism and ADHD evaluation can provide more than a diagnostic answer. The findings can help explain how different aspects of attention, executive functioning, social communication, sensory processing, emotional well-being, and daily life fit together.

Depending on the individual, the evaluation may help:

  • Determine whether diagnostic criteria are met for autism, ADHD, both, or another condition

  • Identify strengths and areas that require more effort or support

  • Better understand difficulties with attention, organization, sensory demands, social communication, transitions, or everyday responsibilities

  • Understand how autism and ADHD characteristics may interact

  • Identify factors that contribute to stress, overwhelm, or burnout

  • Develop individualized recommendations for work, college, relationships, and daily life

  • Document support needs that may be relevant to workplace or educational accommodations

  • Provide useful information to share with therapists, medical providers, or other professionals when desired

For many adults, the evaluation also provides a more integrated understanding of experiences that may have felt confusing or disconnected over time. The written report brings the findings together and includes recommendations based on the individual’s strengths, areas of difficulty, support needs, circumstances, and goals.

Can I Be Autistic and Have ADHD If I Did Well in School or Work?

Yes. Doing well in school, building a career, maintaining relationships, or managing other responsibilities does not rule out autism or ADHD.

Some autistic and ADHD adults develop strategies that help them meet expectations while requiring significant effort. They may rely on routines, reminders, extensive preparation, working longer hours, masking, or carefully structured environments. Strong reasoning abilities, deep interest in certain subjects, and supportive settings can also make areas of difficulty or support needs less visible.

Autism or ADHD may become more noticeable when life becomes more complex or less structured. College, full-time employment, parenting, increased responsibilities, or major transitions can place greater demands on attention, executive functioning, sensory processing, flexibility, and social communication.

An adult autism and ADHD evaluation considers both what a person has accomplished and what it has taken to manage everyday life. Doing well in some areas does not mean that autism, ADHD, or both are absent.

Where Can Adults Get Autism and ADHD Evaluations in Minnesota?

White Bear Psychological Services provides autism and ADHD evaluations for adults throughout Minnesota. Our office is located in White Bear Lake, and we work with adults from Minneapolis, St. Paul, the greater Twin Cities area, and communities across the state.

The evaluation process typically includes virtual appointments for the initial interview and feedback, with in-person testing when needed. This allows us to gather detailed information about developmental history and current experiences while completing assessment measures that are best administered in person.

We work with adults seeking their first autism or ADHD evaluation, as well as people who already have one diagnosis and are wondering whether the other may also be relevant. Autism and ADHD can be evaluated together as part of the same individualized assessment.

How Much Does an Adult Autism and ADHD Evaluation Cost?

The fee for a comprehensive adult autism and ADHD evaluation at White Bear Psychological Services is $3,300. This includes the initial interview, individualized testing, scoring and interpretation of results, a feedback appointment, and a written report with findings and recommendations.

White Bear Psychological Services is a self-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly. We can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage for adult autism and ADHD testing varies by insurance plan, so it is helpful to check directly with your insurer about your out-of-network benefits.

HSA and FSA funds can be used for evaluation services, and no-interest payment plans are available.

The fee does not change based on whether the evaluation ultimately supports autism, ADHD, both, or another explanation. Autism and ADHD can be considered together within the same individualized evaluation rather than requiring two separate evaluations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Adult Autism and ADHD Evaluations

  • Yes. A person can meet diagnostic criteria for both autism and ADHD. The informal term AuDHD is often used to describe people who are both autistic and have ADHD. A combined autism and ADHD evaluation can consider both within the same assessment.

  • At White Bear Psychological Services, autism and ADHD can be evaluated together as part of one comprehensive assessment. This can be especially helpful when it is unclear whether certain experiences are related to autism, ADHD, both, or another factor.

  • An AuDHD assessment is an evaluation that considers both autism and ADHD. AuDHD is an informal term, not a separate diagnosis. The evaluation considers developmental history, current experiences, attention and executive functioning, social communication, sensory processing, and other relevant areas to determine whether diagnostic criteria are met for autism, ADHD, or both.

  • Yes. Autism and ADHD can both be identified in adulthood. Some adults were able to meet expectations earlier in life with structure, support, masking, strong abilities, or strategies they developed over time. Others begin considering an evaluation when college, work, parenting, relationships, or other adult responsibilities make certain differences or difficulties more noticeable.

  • Yes, when the evaluation findings support a need for accommodations. The written report can document diagnoses, areas of difficulty, and support needs that may be relevant when requesting workplace or college accommodations. Recommendations are individualized based on the person and the demands of their setting.

  • No. AuDHD is an informal term used to describe someone who is both autistic and has ADHD. Autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are separate diagnoses, and a person can meet diagnostic criteria for both.

Schedule an Adult Autism and ADHD Evaluation

If you are wondering whether you may be autistic, have ADHD, or both, a comprehensive evaluation can help you better understand how your experiences fit together.

White Bear Psychological Services provides adult autism and ADHD evaluations for people throughout Minnesota. Contact us to learn more about the evaluation process or schedule an appointment.