There are many reasons why seeking an updated ADHD Assessment is helpful for you or a family member when ADHD has been diagnosed previously. Here are some of them, though you may have other reasons for seeking an update: 

• Changes in Symptoms: ADHD symptoms can vary over time. An updated assessment helps reveal how symptoms have changed and how they are affecting daily functioning now. 

• Treatment Optimization: With advancements in ADHD medications, an updated assessment can lead to adjustments to your current Medication Treatment Plan, ensuring treatment is optimal in addressing current ADHD symptoms. Supportive therapies like ADHD Coaching, Psychotherapy, Career Coaching, and Academic Interventions can also be started to meet new demands. 

• Verification for Accommodations: Educational institutions and workplaces often require updated documentation to provide appropriate accommodations. 

Our ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service involves a Nurse Practitioner-Psychometrist Team. Here are the components: 

Review of the previous ADHD report: If you were diagnosed with ADHD through an assessment outside of the Possibilities Clinic, you will be asked to submit the report to us. The Nurse Practitioner (NP) will review the report to determine the criteria used to make clinical decisions regarding the ADHD diagnosis. If the diagnostic process is deemed comprehensive and rigorous, meeting the standards for diagnosis we practice at Possibilities, you will qualify for our updated assessment. We consider whether clinical interviews, questionnaire data, and rating scales of focus and executive functioning were part of your previous assessment to help ensure the validity of the results. If you do not qualify, we will suggest you receive a comprehensive ADHD assessment–either our ADHD Direct Assessment or our Signature ADHD & Mental Health Assessment —to ensure that your diagnosis is accurate. If you have already received an ADHD assessment from clinicians at Possibilities, your report will be in our medical system, so you do not need to submit it. If our Multidisciplinary Assessment Team diagnosed ADHD previously, you qualify for this ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service. All clients who qualify for this assessment—whether coming from Possibilities or another clinic—will proceed to the steps described below. 

Initial Medical Intake: In an initial 50-minute meeting with you, a Nurse Practitioner (NP) gathers updated medical information about symptoms, daily functioning, and the effectiveness of your current Medication Treatment Plan along wither other therapies you have tried. The past assessment report is also reviewed. 

Psychometric Testing: In a separate session, standardized testing administered by a Psychometrist helps the Nurse Practitioner evaluate attention, impulsivity, and other dimensions of ADHD. Questionnaire measures are also used to assess current functioning and to help determine whether additional diagnoses may be present, like anxiety or depression. 

Feedback Session: In a Feedback session, the Nurse Practitioner meets with you to discuss the results. Following feedback, you will receive a report that you can use for the purpose of receiving accommodations at work or school if a diagnosis of ADHD has been reconfirmed. Additional therapies like ADHD Coaching, therapy for anxiety, or science-backed intervention for reading may also be suggested based on the results. If you are interested in ADHD medication treatment, the Nurse Practitioner will speak with you about the medication options that could be right for you or your child. If you continue beyond the 3-session ADHD Direct Update Assessment, medication can be started and adjusted in our Medication Optimization Service.  

Medication Optimization: Following the assessment, you will have the option of receiving medication treatment from a Nurse Practitioner on our Treatment Team. The medication would be titrated—meaning the type and dosage of medication would be optimized over a series of appointments. In this phase of treatment, you or your child would meet with the Nurse Practitioner about once a month until the optimal dosage has been determined. Individuals vary in their response to different types and dosages of medication, so it might take a few visits before optimization is achieved. Each optimization appointment costs $100 per session. 

Continued Treatment: Once the right medication at the right dose for your needs is determined, the medication can continue to be prescribed by the Nurse Practitioner, with regular check-ins roughly every 3 months. Please note that these Continued Treatment sessions are optional and not covered by the cost of the 3-session ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service or fees paid during the Medication Optimization phase. There is a fee of $100 per session for meeting with the Nurse Practitioner at Possibilities for continued prescribing of you or your child’s medication.  

No. You do not need a referral. You can get started by completing an Intake Form.  

You may seek an ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service if your previous report from Possibilities Clinis or elsewhere was done within the last 10 years. If your previous assessment is older than 10 years, we will recommend that you receive an ADHD Direct Assessment or a Signature ADHD & Mental Health Assessment to help verify the diagnosis and create a tailored Treatment Plan.

The cost of our ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service is $800. Please note that optional medication treatment appointments that come after this 3-session assessment are not included in this cost. If you choose to have your medication started and adjusted in a Medication Optimization phase, these sessions cost $100 per visit. You may also choose to have a Nurse Practitioner at Possibilities continue to prescribe your medication, after optimization, in a series of follow-up appointments. These appointments also cost $100 per visit. 

Only Medical Doctors are covered by OHIP. Allied health professionals like Nurse Practitioners and Psychometrists are not. If you choose to have medication optimized and prescribed in regular follow-up appointments with the Nurse Practitioner, the cost is $100 per session. Please check with your insurance provider to see if assessment services provided by a Nurse Practitioner are covered. You can find information about funding options, bursaries, and medical loans for assessments and treatments here.  

This service is provided by a Nurse Practitioner (NP) and a Psychometrist. A Psychologist is not involved in our ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service. If your insurance provider offers some coverage for psychology services, consider our Signature ADHD & Mental Health Assessment to get an update on your current functioning with ADHD and a tailored set of recommendations and a Medication Treatment Plan. This Multidisciplinary Team assessment includes a Psychologist or Psychological Associate working with Physicians and as such falls under our Psychological Services offerings. Check with your insurance provider to see if services offered by a Nurse Practitioner or Psychologist are covered. 

If you were assessed elsewhere, we ask that you share a copy of your previous assessment report with us. If the previous report outlines a comprehensive assessment verifying an ADHD diagnosis, you will qualify for our ADHD Direct Update Assessment. If your previous assessment was notably less detailed, we will suggest that you receive a comprehensive ADHD assessment from our Multidisciplinary Assessment Team, specifically an ADHD Direct Assessment or a Signature ADHD & Mental Health Assessment to help verify the diagnosis and create a tailored Treatment Plan.    

Yes! If you have received an assessment at the Possibilities Clinic previously, a 10% discount through our Loyalty Program will be applied to the cost of the 3-session ADHD Direct Update Assessment and Medication Optimization Service. This discount applies if you have received a Multidisciplinary Team Assessment of any kind at the Possibilities Clinic, including a Psychoeducational/Learning Disability Assessment, an Early Years Assessment, or an Autism Assessment.