Eccentric Minds is currently offering neurodevelopmental diagnostic assessment of ADHD and Autism for kids, teens and adults online or in Sydney NSW. We are also offering WPATH Surgery Readiness assessment for transgender and gender-diverse adults.
Our assessment fees are set lower as a conscious decision to improve accessibility for the community. All fees below are estimates only and will vary person to person depending on your needs and presentation
Before we get started on an Autism assessment, we always see you for 1-2 intake sessions to explore your history, concerns, needs and purpose of assessment. We provide you with a thorough explanation of the process, screening questionnaires, what we need from you or others, and troubleshoot any potential barriers to completing the assessment. At Eccentric Minds we value authenticity, direct communication and accuracy which is why we will also ask your permission (totally voluntary) to video record parts of the assessment to assist with report writing. Any recordings are then permanently deleted after the report is written. If you decide to continue, the formal assessment will commence using a variety of neurodivergent affirming tools.
Specifically, we use the MIGDAS-2 interview tool, questionnaires for teachers, parents and/or support person to complete, and a measure of daily living strengths or challenges. The MIGDAS-2 takes approximately 2-4 hours or sessions, while the other parts of the assessment are completed outside of session time. During the MIGDAS-2 we will have a chat about your special interests (get excited!), sensory experiences, social connections and communication style. Any questionnaires completed outside of session after the MIGDAS-2 are interpreted during the report writing process. If you would like a dot-point summary of the process and fee breakdown, please check out our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
It is up to you whether you want a comprehensive report, which can be used to apply for NDIS or Centrelink funding if eligible, in-school supports or other types occupational/educational accommodations. Otherwise, we can provide a diagnostic summary letter, which is most suitable if you are seeking assessment purely for validation and personal understanding.
The final part of the process is a feedback session where we discuss the outcome of assessment, support recommendations and any questions you might have :)
For adults and older teens, this process can be done all online from the comfort of your home. For younger teens and children, we offer appointments in-person in West Ryde.
**You may be eligible for Medicare rebates for Autism-related assessment using the Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities Assessment Plan. Please see your GP to determine eligibility
Before we get started on an ADHD assessment, we always see you for 1-2 intake sessions to explore your history, concerns, needs and purpose of assessment. We provide you with a thorough explanation of the process, screening questionnaires, what we need from you or others, and troubleshoot any potential barriers to completing the assessment. If you decide to continue, the formal assessment will commence using a variety of tools to understand your experiences better.
Specifically, we use the DIVA-5 interview tool, questionnaires for teachers, parents and/or support person to complete, and a measure of daily living strengths or challenges. The DIVA-5 takes approximately 1-2 hours or sessions, while the other parts of the assessment are completed outside of session time. During part we will have a chat about your day to day routine, relationships, learning and/or work experiences and interests. Hopefully this process is not too boring but feel free to move around, fidget or sing your responses if that helps you feel comfortable. Any questionnaires completed outside of session after the MIGDAS-2 are interpreted during the report writing process. If you would like a dot-point summary of the process and fee breakdown, please check out our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
It is up to you whether you want a comprehensive report, which can be used to support your referral to a Psychiatrist for medication consideration, in-school supports or other types occupational/educational accommodations. Otherwise, we can provide a diagnostic summary letter, which is most suitable if you are seeking assessment purely for validation and personal understanding.
The final part of the process is a feedback session where we discuss the outcome of assessment, support recommendations and any questions you might have :)
For adults and older teens, this process can be done all online from the comfort of your home. For younger teens and children, we offer appointments in-person in West Ryde.
For the sake of reducing repetition, we wont duplicate what has been said above as the combined assessment is basically all of the above assessments with 1-2 intake sessions, a report/letter and feedback session.
During intake we will let you know whether it would be helpful or informative to complete the combined Autism and ADHD assessment based on your history and outcome of the screening questionnaires, because frankly life is expensive and if it wont be helpful then what is the purpose? If you would like a dot-point summary of the process and fee breakdown, please check out our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
**You may be eligible for Medicare rebates for the Autism-related parts of assessment using the Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities Assessment Plan. Please see your GP to determine eligibility.
WPATH Surgery Readiness assessment with Eccentric Minds - Psychology typically spans 3 to 6 sessions, though can differ for each person. The process includes health history taking, wellbeing and gender-related questionnaires, along with conversations about your gender identity and experience of gender incongruence.
Additionally, it assesses whether your mental health has an influence on decision-making or your ability to adjust to and recover from the procedure. The process also explores whether you currently have the resources and support to pursue your selected gender-affirming surgery and navigate any anticipated challenges related to the procedure, adjustment, or recovery. It involves understanding potential risks and difficulties associated with the chosen path of gender affirmation and your ability to effectively manage these aspects. Furthermore, it ensures awareness of the benefits that might come with your chosen gender affirmation and the capacity to weigh the risks and benefits to make an informed decision about proceeding with the selected gender-affirming surgery.
After the assessment is completed, a letter for your surgeon will be provided based on the WPATH Standards of Care (version 8) with a summary of the assessment and any recommendations.
Given the types of questions we need to ask based on the WPATH Standards of Care, we would recommend reflecting on your history of gender incongruence and key events/times in your gender affirmation journey.
Likewise, we would recommend learning as much as possible about your selected gender affirmation surgery, including what is done in the surgery as well as medical risks. It is also important to reflect on what the specific and personal benefits, risks and outcomes might be after the surgery is completed, including psychological, social, financial, employment, fertility, physical or any others you might think of.
There are some great resources on TransHub to guide your learning.
While there are some rebates available for medical services related to the gender incongruence and gender affirmation, there are NO Medicare rebates available for psychological surgery readiness assessment and fees will need to be paid privately.
As per the WPATH Standards of Care, having a psychological or health condition at the time of assessment or surgery is not an exclusion criteria for surgery.
The guideline outlines that if a significant medical or psychological condition is present, it must be reasonably well controlled and not influence your capacity to make legal decisions. This means that if a condition is identified during the surgery readiness assessment and we are concerned it is not well controlled and/or affecting your judgement, we may pause the assessment and recommend engagement with the appropriate treatment providers.
We do this so you have the best chance of completing your surgery without major complications associated with the co-occurring conditions, as the recovery and post-surgery adjustment process is challenging.
Once the psychological or medical conditions have been managed (not necessarily resolved) and controlled, we can recommence the WPATH surgery readiness assessment.
Usually its diagnoses that need some sort of evidence to access or be eligible for specialised supports, or medication, that will generally require a formal assessment.
Neurodevelopmental conditions like Autism, ADHD, Intellectual Disability, Specific Learning Disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) typically need formal assessments to be eligible for in-school supports, specialised schools or classrooms, NDIS funding, Centrelink payments and/or occupational accessibility adjustments in some professional industries.
Sometimes psychological diagnoses may also require formal assessment for legal or forensic purposes, and these are typically conducted by Psychologists working in the legal or forensic industry. Diagnostic assessment for legal and forensic purposes is outside the scope of services Eccentric Minds is able to provide currently.
Eccentric Minds is currently offering assessment for diagnosis of Autism and ADHD based on the combination of assessment tools we have available. If there are suspected symptoms of Intellectual Developmental Disorder or Specific Learning Disorders, we strongly recommend seeking a cognitive assessment to identify these needs and appropriate recommendations with an alternative clinic.
Depending on the information obtained during intake sessions, we will ask you to complete a variety of online questionnaires to screen for particular diagnoses that might be present. From there we may recommend further assessment using some or all of the following:
Some of these questionnaires, tests or interviews will be completed in sessions while others will be completed outside of session by yourself or someone who knows you well (caregiver, long term friend, teacher).
In future, Eccentric Minds would like to offer cognitive, academic and specific learning disorder testing using the Wechsler intelligence scales (WAIS, WISC, WPPSI), Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT) and learning disorder batteries. Please feel free to stay on our waitlist if you are looking have any of these assessments completed, otherwise we can recommend other clinics who have capacity to conduct these assessments more immediately.
These breakdowns and steps will vary person to person based on your history, how talkative you are, and the need for obtaining collateral information from other people in session (versus by questionnaire), but here are some estimates. Fees can be paid in a lump sum, chunks or per session.
Autism Assessment
ADHD Assessment
AuDHD (Autism + ADHD) Assessment
Receiving a diagnosis of or assessing for Autism and/or ADHD is not necessarily dependent on someone's age. It is dependent on a few things, including:
Currently, Eccentric Minds is able to offer developmental assessment of Autism and ADHD for people aged 6+ based on the combination of assessment tools we have available and because usually by this age there are sources of information from day-cares, preschools, schools and parent's of other kids available to support diagnosis.
The assessment process will vary person to person depending on the complexity of their presentation and history. Overall what you will need to bring or prepare is:
Sometimes finding old reports from childhood can be challenging for adults, so please let us know if this is not possible and we can discuss alternatives
The minimum requirement for telehealth diagnostic assessment would be through telehealth – video conference as visual observations are typically required to make valid neurodevelopmental diagnoses.
If it was determined that telehealth – video was not appropriate or accessible to complete the assessment, Eccentric Minds can offer a private room booking in West Ryde, NSW 2114.
In-person assessment is needed for children below 12 years old, and some teens depending on their verbal abilities. However most adults can generally complete the assessment all online.
As with most things in life, there are risk and benefits to diagnostic assessment. Below are some of the potential risks, how we manage these risks, and potential benefits for you to consider in combination with your personal circumstances.
Potential risks:
At Eccentric Minds, we aim to minimise risks by:
Potential benefits:
If you feel the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks for you, it may be appropriate to proceed with formal diagnostic assessment
YES. The reason this is necessary is because after 7 years (or at 25 years old for children) from engagement your file with a psychological service may be closed and responsibility disposed. This is because documentation storage requirements end after this time. The report provided may be the only copy available after this period of time if evidence of formal diagnosis is needed for anything (legal, diversity or funding related) in future. While re-assessment can be completed after that time period, usually health providers will request copies of any previous reports completed as evidence of concerns being present earlier in life, which is required for diagnosis of developmental conditions.
There are also benefits to having an assessment report or letter, which include:
To be accurate and valid, the report or letter must be written and paid for within 3 months of the diagnostic assessment. Some sessions will be recorded with consent to assist the diagnostic process.
NO. NDIS early intervention funding (for those under 7-years-old) can no longer be used to pay for diagnostic assessment of neurodevelopmental conditions or psychosocial disabilities. Likewise, adults with NDIS funding cannot use funds to pay for diagnostic assessment of newly suspected conditions to apply for a ‘change of circumstances review’. NDIS funds can only be used to directly work on goals for the disability named when the NDIS package was initially approved.
The NDIS is still able to fund functional assessments are part of support planning or as requested by the NDIA during a funding review. For more information about what services the NDIS supports or doesn’t support, please visit NDIS Would We Fund It.
As far as we are aware, there are no other insurers that fund developmental diagnostic assessments unfortunately.
For those under 25-years-old and primarily for Autism-related assessment, YES, there are Medicare rebates available with a valid GP or Specialist referral under the Complex Neurodevelopmental Disorders and eligible disabilities plan.
Unfortunately, this plan does NOT provide rebates for stand-alone ADHD assessments, and Mental Health Care Plans or Chronic Disease Management plans cannot be used as an alternative.
Eccentric Minds conducts ADHD assessment to make a diagnosis and provide recommendations as a psychological service. In Australia, psychologists are not able to prescribe medication but we can recommend you engage with a specialist doctor such as a psychiatrist or paediatrician (for under 18s), to consider a medication trial or review. Please be aware that not all psychiatrists or paediatricians prescribe medication for ADHD and this is something you should ask before booking an appointment with them.
Depending on the doctor, they may review the report completed by Eccentric Minds and decide to conduct their own assessment or a few tests before considering a medication for ADHD. Ultimately it is up to the doctor whether they prescribe ADHD medication or not, even with a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD.