ADHD Assessments with Dr. Sira
This section is for clients who reside in BC and who DO NOT want to use the referral network. You can add your name to my waiting list here:
I have a selection of assessment types. Due to the high demand for ADHD Diagnostic Assessments and long wait lists, I ask all my clients to complete an assessment request questionnaire. If you reside in BC and I am able to provide the assessment you are requesting, we will send you a consent form. After that, you may not hear from my office for several months. Please be patient as I work through my waiting list.
My waiting list for diagnostic assessments is usually approximately 6 months, though in the fall it's often longer due to my summer vacation. My office will send you a LARGE number of forms to complete prior to being offered an interview date. Once all the forms are completed, interviews are offered for my first available date.
Complete an assessment request by clicking the button below. Please check your email (including your junk folder) for the automated response to your request.
Getting an ADHD Assessment ASAP
Clients can complete a short ADHD pre-assessment to give you access to a number of psychologists in BC and outside of BC who provide ADHD and other psychological assessments. I am included in this referral network, but another psychologist may have availability sooner than I do. There is no cost to sign up to this referral list.
If you reside outside of BC, use this button.
Complete a pre-assessment by clicking the logo below
Assessment Process
ADHD assessments with me have four parts.
1. History Forms
One clients consent to complete an assessment with me, I send them consent forms. Then, the first step for new clients is to fill in a selection of history forms. These forms help me understand you in detail and allow you to share what's been going on for you. You are asked to fill these history forms in on your own time in a comfortable place. You submit these using the Hyperfocus tool and I'll be notified when you've completed them. At the same time, I will ask you to identify an informant or two who knows you well. I will ask for your consent to send them history forms. Then I will send them forms to help me obtain information on your childhood and on their observations of your functioning. This is considered better practice for ADHD diagnostic assessments.
3. Schedule Interview
Once you've completed the History Forms and Questionnaires (and your informants have submitted theirs too, if any), we'll set up a convenient interview time that works for both of us. I will have reviewed the information provided prior to our interview. During the interview, you and I will talk more in-depth about your situation.
2. Questionnaires
I'll review the History Forms from step 1 and I will select a set of relevant questionnaires to send you. These questionnaires help me uncover more about certain areas that I want to understand. You will be able to complete these questionnaires in on your own time in a comfortable place using the Hyperfocus tool. I'll be notified when you've completed them all.
4. Assessment Report
After one or more interview sessions, I will have enough information and background to provide an opinion about your diagnosis and my recommendations. I will write up an assessment report or analysis summary for you, if you request one.
ADHD Diagnostic Assessment
This is a comprehensive psychological assessment focussing on Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD/ADD) and related diagnoses. This assessment provides you with feedback about your history and symptoms, as well as your assessment results. I will make a diagnosis (if relevant) and provide treatment recommendations for your next steps. If you request a written report (which is typical, if I make a diagnosis), you can take the summary report to your physician to discuss medication options. If you are at a post secondary institution, my assessment report may not be sufficient to use for university or college accommodations if the institution requires cognitive testing for an ADHD diagnosis. Please confirm with your institution's disability resource centre on the report requirements. If you need a psychoeducational report with cognitive testing, please contact a psychologist who specializes in Learning Disability or Psycho-Educational assessments.
The ADHD Diagnostic assessment is completed entirely online through a combination of data gathered from forms you and your informants complete before our appointment, and information collected in a 1.5-2.0 hour interview. The diagnostic assessment for ADHD costs $700.00 in total, payable in two payments. These assessments are in very high demand. To ensure you are ready for your appointment, when you request an assessment we will send you a number of forms and questionnaires regarding your symptoms. After you complete the forms and questionnaires, I will review everything you submitted, and we will send you an invoice for the first payment. Once the deposit is paid, you will be invited to book an interview. If you request a report, you won't be asked to pay the remainder of the fee until the assessment report is completed.
Strengths-Based Analysis for ADHD in the Workplace
This analysis helps you understand your cognitive style and how your strengths and weaknesses might affect you in the workplace. You will be asked about your history and your specific symptoms to help me understand what barriers you face in daily life, as well as the strengths you bring to everything you do. We will discuss the ways you might have demonstrated creativity, resilience, and cognitive flexibility to help you hone in on the type of work environment that will help you shine. This analysis is for your personal information and growth. If you request a written summary of the analysis, the document I send you will outline our discussion and the recommendations and suggestions I think will help you succeed at work. It is not a diagnostic report, and is not intended to be used to access workplace accommodations or treatments. If you are seeking a report to share with your doctor or employer, please request a diagnostic assessment.
The Strengths-Based Analysis for ADHD in the Workplace is completed entirely online through a combination of data gathered from forms you complete before our appointment, and information collected in a 1.5-2.0 hour interview. The Strengths-Based Analysis for ADHD in the Workplace costs $700.00 in total, payable in two payments. To ensure you are ready for your appointment, when you request an analysis we will send you a number of forms and questionnaires regarding symptoms you may experience that pose barriers in the workplace, as well as questionnaires that assess your strengths. Once you have completed the forms and questionnaires, I will review everything you submitted, and we will send you an invoice for the first payment. Once the deposit is paid, you will be invited to book an interview. You won't be asked to pay the remainder of the fee until the analysis summary is completed.
Current Assessment Offerings
Assessment Process
These assessments have four parts.
1. History Forms
One of the first steps I ask of new clients is to fill in a selection of history forms. These forms help me understand you in detail and allow you to share what's been going on for you.
In this interview you help me understand what has prompted you to seek an assessment and what your goals are for the assessment. I will ask you a series of questions about your current concerns, your psychological and medical history and relevant background in order to make sure I have a good understanding of your situation.
2. Individual Testing.
This is the longest part of the assessment for you. It is usually done on the same day as the interview, but may be carried over to a second day if there is too much to complete in one day. It may also be broken into shorter sessions if you are not able to manage a long appointment due to fatigue or pain, for example. Depending on the type of assessment you are seeking, it can take from 3-8 hours. I will select from a number of standardized measures of general intelligence, attention, memory, problem solving, visual skills, academic skills and executive functioning to create a battery of tests. I will also select relevant questionnaires and rating scales for you to complete. When relevant, I will ask your permission to interview someone who knows you well (usually by phone) so that I can learn more about what other people have observed about you.
3. Scoring the data, analysis and interpretation of the results, and writing the report.
This is the longest part of the assessment for me. I examine all the results in relation to your functioning and history as well as in relation to the performance expected of your peers (i.e. the normal population or persons with similar illness or injury). I rely on my theoretical knowledge and practical training as well as current scientific literature to confirm or reject a diagnosis, examine differential diagnoses, and identify, if present, the diagnosis that is most consistent with your subjective experience, your history and the neuropsychological test results. Then I write a report that details the findings, diagnosis, recommendations for further assessment or treatment, as well as the effects of your deficits and strengths on your life (e.g. ability to work, study or to lead an autonomous life). Because the report integrates information from a wide variety of sources, the neuropsychological report often offers an extremely comprehensive view of your condition.
4. Feedback / Informing Interview.
The last part of the assessment is an interview where we meet to discuss your results. At this meeting I will share my opinion about the nature of your current concerns, as well as my recommendations to help you move forward in your life. You can invite one or two people to join this interview if you want. After this interview, I will make the final additions to the report and send it to whoever has requested it (such as your lawyer, insurance company, your doctor, or yourself). I do my best to write reports that are easy to read, and are free from jargon. However, some reports are quite long and complicated, so you are welcome to contact me if you have more questions once you have read the report.
Other Assessments not currently offered
Comprehensive Neuropsychological Assessments
These help you understand and formally document your medical condition. This may be used for legal cases, insurance disability applications, or rehabilitation (such as return to work planning after a brain injury). These assessments take up to two days of your time to complete. The cost starts at $5000.00 for a clinical assessment (such as for rehabilitation planning or pension decisions) but it may cost more depending on the complexity of your medical history and condition. Assessments that are intended to be used in court are significantly more involved as there are typically many documents to review and the reports address the referral questions in a manner that is complete and that will withstand the scrutiny of the courtroom. See this article for more information on neuropsychological assessments
Not currently offered
Concussion Assessments
These help formally determine the severity of your recent concussion (within two months of injury), and to help you experience the fastest and most complete recovery. These brief assessments take two and a half hours of your time to complete and we will meet again to discuss the results once I’ve written the report. These assessments include a formal report for your physician and treating team, and typically cost $1500.00 (though it may be less, depending on your situation).
Not currently offered.
Brief Cognitive Screening Assessments
These help clarify specific concerns around cognitive difficulties such as memory problems. This may be used to guide rehabilitation planning, or to diagnose a condition such as age related mild cognitive impairment or early detection of dementia such as Alzheimer’s Disease. We will meet to discuss the results and I will provide specific recommendations to help you maintain optimal functioning and plan for the future. My recommendations will be specific to you and your situation. These assessments include a brief report, and cost $700.00.
Not currently offered