Adult psychological evaluation · Scottsdale, Arizona
Adult ADHD and autism evaluations, step by step
Meridian Adult Evaluations is a solo practice. Dr. Arjun Naidu, a licensed psychologist, evaluates adults who want to know whether ADHD or autism helps explain how they think and work. An evaluation answers a question. It is not therapy, and it is not a treatment plan.
- Evaluation only, not therapy
- In person in Scottsdale
- A written report and a feedback visit
Fit
Who an evaluation is for
Adults, 18 and older, who have a question about ADHD or autism and want it looked at carefully.
You have wondered for years
Focus, time and follow-through have been hard since school, and you want to know whether ADHD is part of the picture.
Someone raised autism
A partner, a parent, a therapist or your own reading has you asking whether autism describes you.
You want it in writing
You need a clear report for your doctor, an employer, a school or your own files, written so you can read it.
What it is not
An evaluation is not therapy and does not replace it. I do not prescribe medication, and this is not crisis care.
How it works
Four steps, in order, with the time each one takes
You see the whole path before you start. Nothing is decided on testing day.
1. Interview, 60 minutes
We go through your history, school, work and relationships, and what made you ask the question now.
2. Testing day, about 4 hours
Attention, memory and reasoning tasks at a table, with breaks, and a structured talk about daily life.
3. Scoring and writing
I score the tests, set them beside your history and write the report.
4. Feedback visit, 60 minutes
We read the report together, what it says and does not say, and what to do next.
About 3 weeks
from testing day to your written report
Evaluations
What an evaluation can look at
Each one ends with the same thing: a written report you own.
ADHD evaluation
Attention, organization, memory and impulsivity, set against your history. The report says whether the criteria are met and what else could explain what you notice.
About the ADHD evaluationAutism evaluation
Communication, sensory experience, routines and social life, then and now. The report says whether the criteria are met and what else could explain what you notice.
About the autism evaluationBoth questions together
Some adults wonder about both. One interview and one testing day cover both, and the report answers each question separately.
How an evaluation worksReport and feedback visit
Every evaluation ends with a written report and a visit to go through it. You decide who gets a copy.
About the report
Dr. Arjun Naidu
Licensed psychologist, Ph.D.
I evaluate adults for ADHD and autism, and nothing else. I would rather do one thing carefully than offer many.
I take my time over the interview, because most of an evaluation is your history. I write the report in plain language, for you first. If what I find is not ADHD or autism, the report says so and says what else deserves a look.
Training
Ph.D., clinical psychology
Licensed Psychologist · AZ Lic. 000000
How fees work
How paying for an evaluation works here, in the order people tend to ask.
Insurance we work with
I am out of network. I do not bill insurance plans, Medicare or Medicaid directly. Some plans pay back part of the cost of psychological testing when you send them an itemized receipt, and some ask for approval before the first visit.
Out of network
Most PPO plans may pay back part of the cost
Medicare and Medicaid are not billed
If you pay yourself
The package fee covers the interview (60 minutes), the testing day (about four hours), scoring, the written report and the feedback visit (60 minutes). It depends on whether you ask about ADHD, autism or both, and you get the fee in writing before we meet. A small number of reduced-fee evaluations are open each year; ask when you write. HSA and FSA cards usually work. The testing day is held for you alone, so I ask for 48 hours' notice to move it.
One package fee, in writing before the interview
Interview, testing, report and feedback visit included
48 hours' notice to move a testing day
Receipts for reimbursement
After the feedback visit I send an itemized receipt, called a superbill, which a plan may use to pay back part of the fee. It lists a diagnosis code when the evaluation reaches one, and your plan will see it. The plan decides, and reimbursement is not guaranteed.
An estimate in advance
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of the cost of your care before you start, and I give you one in writing before the interview. If a bill comes to $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
Checking your benefits
Before the interview we go over what your plan says about psychological testing, and I tell you what to ask it. I can't promise what a plan will pay.
Where
Where adults come from
The testing day is in person in Scottsdale. The interview can be by video if you are in Arizona.
Close to the office
- Scottsdale
- Paradise Valley
- Fountain Hills
Across the Valley
- New River
- Queen Creek
- Gold Canyon
- Rio Verde
North
- Cave Creek
- Carefree
Questions
What people ask before they write
Do you take my insurance?
I am out of network and do not bill insurance plans, Medicare or Medicaid directly. Some plans pay back part of the cost of psychological testing when you send them an itemized receipt, and some ask for approval first. I can give you the receipt. I can't promise what a plan will pay.
What is a Good Faith Estimate?
If you pay without insurance, you have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of the cost of your care before you start. I give you one in writing before the interview. If a bill comes to $400 or more above the estimate, you can dispute it. The estimate is not a contract.
What happens at the interview?
We spend 60 minutes on your history: school, work, relationships, health, and what made you ask the question now. You fill in a few questionnaires beforehand, and with your permission someone who knows you may be asked to fill in a short form too.
How long does an evaluation take?
From the interview to the feedback visit it usually takes six to eight weeks, most of it scoring and writing. You hear the dates at the interview.
Is an evaluation the same as therapy?
No. An evaluation answers a question about how you think and work, and ends with a written report. It is not therapy, it does not replace therapy, and it is not a treatment plan. If you want therapy, I help you find someone to do it.
Will the report say whether I have ADHD or autism?
The report says whether you meet the criteria for either one, and says so plainly if you do not. It also looks at other explanations that can look similar, such as anxiety, low mood, sleep or a health condition. What it says depends on what I find.
Are you licensed where I live?
I am licensed as a psychologist in Arizona only. The interview can be by video if you are in Arizona when we meet. The testing day is in person in Scottsdale. If you live in another state, I can't evaluate you, but I can suggest how to find a psychologist near you.
What is confidential, and what are the limits?
What you tell me and what the testing shows is private, and I share the report only with people you name in writing. The limits are the ones the law sets: a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, or a report the law requires. I explain them at the interview.
Have a question that an evaluation could answer?
Write a few lines about what you would like looked at. I reply within two working days, and nothing is decided in that first message.
Request an evaluation
Say in a line or two what you would like looked at, in general terms, and when you are free. I reply within two working days.
- Tuesday – ThursdayToday
- 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- FridayToday
- 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Monday, Saturday and SundayToday
- Closed