Help me afford my ADHD Autism Assessment

Hey Friends, Chalise here.

I've been wanting to get my ADHD/Autism diagnosis for about a year and a half now, and every time I start organising it I burnout or lack the executive function, or I gear up to put down a deposit for the assessment, only to have another bill come up. It wasn't until a good friend of mine (hi Dan!) suggested I start up a crowdfunder, that a little bit of hope for actually getting over the line returned. So here I am. Hi.

For those of you who know me well, you know I've been on this journey for the last couple of years. The journey of discovering my neurotype. Learning that I'm AuDHD has explained so much about my huge struggles around organisation, staying in touch with loved ones, managing working and relationships, and having energy to do life in a world created for neurotypical folks. Not to mention my sensory difficulties. Autistic burnout is real and once I learned that it's the beast I've been dealing with, getting support became even more imminent.

I'm finally at the point where I can't wait any longer for my diagnosis -- I need to get this on paper to have that confirmation for myself, and most importantly, so that I can access medication that will make my life an extraordinary amount easier.

I've tried multiple times to save for this assessment and have gone to multiple clinics for different quotes -- and now I've finally landed on my home clinic where I see my regular psychologist. Not only is this more manageable for me organisation-wise, but it's one of the few clinics that are trauma informed, LGBTQIA+ informed, and neurodivergent affirming. Getting into any clinic for a diagnosis is hard -- getting into a safe clinic that's already linked with my psych is a blessing. Now it's just about affording it.

As vulnerable as it is to ask my community for money for things that are so personal to me, I know crowdfunding has absolutely saved me in the past so I've decided to do it.

It always makes my heart happy when I see others in the community ask for help affording something lifechanging for them, and so with this leap of faith, I ask that if you have any coin to spare, to please consider donating towards this fundraiser. It would mean the world to me and really change my life for the better.

While I've attached the full cost of the assessment to this fundraiser, I'm working on my end to put aside all the funds I can, and will consider the campaign a success once my savings + your donations = the goal amount. I'll close off the campaign once that happens.

I really appreciate the time you've taken to read this far, and of course, if you have no coin to spare (I know how tough times are), sharing this campaign on your socials will make a giant difference. Thank you!