If you or someone you love has experienced persistent difficulties with attention, organization, sensory processing, social communication, emotional regulation, or day-to-day functioning, psychological testing can offer a structured path toward clarity. For children, adolescents, and adults, a comprehensive evaluation for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), learning concerns, mood disorders, or related clinical questions can help identify the factors contributing to symptoms and guide evidence-informed recommendations.
At Hope and Wholeness Psychology Center, our purpose is to help clients move from uncertainty to informed understanding. A diagnostic evaluation is not simply about assigning a label. Rather, it is a careful, individualized process that examines cognitive, emotional, behavioral, developmental, and interpersonal patterns, so that we can provide you with a written report that summarizes your next steps.
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What Happens During Psychological Testing?
Psychological testing is a structured, data-informed process designed to answer specific diagnostic and treatment-planning questions. Depending on the referral concern, an evaluation may include a clinical interview, developmental and medical history, collateral information when appropriate, standardized rating scales, cognitive or academic measures, behavioral observations, and a feedback session to review findings. This process is more comprehensive than a brief screening, and it is designed to differentiate ADHD, autism, learning concerns, mood disorders, trauma-related symptoms, and other clinical possibilities.
Why Consider ADHD or Autism Testing?
ADHD and ASD are neurodevelopmental conditions associated with patterns of inattention, impulsivity, executive functioning challenges, emotional dysregulation, and, for some individuals, hyperactivity or restlessness. In adults, these conditions often show up less as hyperactivity and more as chronic difficulty with planning, prioritizing, task completion, time awareness, organization, and sustained mental effort. Many women in particular go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years, which can lead to increased anxiety, burnout, and stress.
Our testing psychologists are trained in differentiating the underlying causes of these symptoms, and our neuroaffirming approach takes into account the unique biopsychosocial influences on each individual. A well-designed evaluation can clarify which conditions may be present and whether anxiety, depression, trauma, sleep problems, learning differences, or other concerns may be contributing to the overall picture, so your recommendations fit the whole person rather than a single symptom.
Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Testing
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication, sensory processing, behavioral flexibility, routines, interests, and adaptive functioning. Because autism exists on a spectrum, presentations vary widely across individuals and across the lifespan. Some people are evaluated in childhood, while others pursue testing in adolescence or adulthood after years of compensating, masking, or feeling that other explanations never quite captured their experience.
Autism testing can help identify patterns that may have been overlooked or misunderstood, and the results can guide support, therapy goals, family education, school or workplace accommodations, and coordination with other providers. Ages 5 and up are eligible for autism evaluation at Hope and Wholeness Psychology Center, and our neuroaffirming evaluations consider each person’s developmental history, current functioning, strengths, vulnerabilities, sensory experiences, communication style, and co-occurring concerns such as anxiety, ADHD, mood symptoms, or learning differences.
What to Expect: The Testing Process
A full evaluation is a bigger undertaking than a short online checklist, and knowing the steps ahead of time can make it feel more manageable.
- Intake call, about 15 minutes. Our intake coordinator hears what you have noticed, confirms your insurance, and schedules you with the right psychologist.
- Initial consultation, about 1 hour. A clinical interview and history with your psychologist. No testing happens this day, since the interview determines which assessments you actually need.
- Testing session, 1 to 3 hours. Standardized assessments, normally completed in a single appointment. If sitting that long is not realistic, especially for young children, tell us at intake and we can split it across more than one visit.
- Feedback session, up to a full hour. Your psychologist explains the findings in plain language, and you leave with a detailed written report you can share with a school, employer, or prescriber.
How ADHD Behavioral Treatment Can Help
For many clients, ADHD behavioral therapy provides essential support after diagnosis. Treatment often focuses on strengthening executive functioning, improving self-monitoring, reducing avoidance, building sustainable routines, and developing strategies for emotional regulation. For those searching for ADHD treatment in West Michigan, psychotherapy at Hope and Wholeness Psychology Center can help transform diagnostic insight into practical, measurable change.
Adults, for example, often benefit from learning ADHD coping skills and compensatory strategies tailored to their specific responsibilities and environments. These may include external memory systems, structured planning routines, task initiation strategies, environmental modifications, communication tools, and methods for managing emotional reactivity.
How Our Practice Can Help
Hope and Wholeness Psychology Center provides psychotherapy, psychological testing, and medication management for individuals and families seeking careful assessment, compassionate care, and clinically useful recommendations across West Michigan. We approach each evaluation with attention to the whole person, integrating test data, history, observed patterns, and your own lived experience. After testing, we explain findings in accessible language and discuss next steps, which may include therapy, behavioral strategies, parent or family support, school or workplace accommodations, referrals, medication management, and ongoing care coordination, all of which can happen right here without an outside referral.
Cost is often the first question, and it depends on your plan. If you have Priority Health Medicaid, testing is covered in full. With most commercial plans, a deposit is due at scheduling, and our team verifies your specific testing benefit and gives you an estimate based on your individual plan before your first appointment.
Whether you are searching for an ADHD counselor near you, trying to better understand ADHD or autism, or looking for a provider who can connect diagnostic clarity with meaningful treatment, our testing psychologists are ready to help you take the next step.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you are wondering whether ADHD testing, autism testing, or a full psychological evaluation may be right for you or your child, contact our office to learn more about scheduling, availability, and what the process looks like. We offer testing at six West Michigan offices, with no waitlist: Allegan, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Holland, Jenison, and Muskegon.
Prefer to talk on the phone? Call 616.295.8284 to talk to our intake coordinator.
FAQs About ADHD & Autism Testing
How do I know if I need ADHD testing?
ADHD testing may be helpful when attention, organization, impulsivity, time management, or emotional regulation concerns are interfering with daily life. A comprehensive evaluation can clarify whether ADHD is present and help identify the right therapy, behavioral strategies, or other recommendations for you.
Can adults be tested for ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
Yes. Many adults pursue testing after years of questions about attention, executive functioning, social communication, sensory sensitivity, or coping with adult ADHD. Autism evaluations are available starting at age 5, and ADHD and general psychological testing are available starting at age 6.
What is included in a psychological evaluation?
A psychological evaluation typically includes a clinical interview, developmental history, standardized questionnaires, cognitive or academic measures, behavioral observations, and a feedback session. You leave with a written report you can share with any providers or organizations who need it, built around a full picture of you rather than a single symptom checklist.
How can testing help with treatment planning?
Testing helps distinguish between ADHD, autism, mood concerns, anxiety, learning differences, and other clinical questions. That clarity can guide psychotherapy, ADHD behavioral treatment, school or workplace accommodations, referrals, medication management, and coping strategies built around what is actually going on.
Will an autism diagnosis show up on a registry or affect my insurance record?
Michigan does not keep a mandatory autism registry, and a diagnosis is protected health information that cannot legally be disclosed outside of your care team without your authorization. Insurance visibility is limited too: each billed encounter uses a diagnosis code, but an autism finding lives in your written report, which is shared only with you and anyone you choose to authorize. You can read more from the NIH Data Archive and the HHS HIPAA privacy summary.
What does autism testing cost?
If you have Priority Health Medicaid, testing is covered in full at no cost to you. With most commercial plans, a deposit is due at scheduling and applied toward your balance, with typical patient responsibility between $250 and $2,000 depending on your plan. Our team verifies your specific testing benefit and gives you an estimate before your first appointment, so you know what to expect.
About Hope & Wholeness Psychology Center
Hope & Wholeness Psychology Center offers counseling, psychological testing, and medication management across nine West Michigan offices and telehealth statewide, with the goal of improving lives through positive, compassionate, and effective psychological services. Explore our full range of services or find your therapist to get started.
