For decades, I believed I was the problem.

I wasn’t diagnosed with ADHD until I was 53 years old.

Like so many adults, I spent years wondering why everyday life seemed so much harder for me than it appeared to be for everyone else. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t unmotivated. My brain simply worked differently—and no one recognized it.

Unfortunately, my story isn’t unique.

Every day, adults across the country spend months or even years waiting for assessments, or they’re told they must pay thousands of dollars out of pocket because insurance won’t cover comprehensive ADHD and autism evaluations. Too many people never receive answers at all because the cost is simply out of reach.

Without a diagnosis, many people spend decades blaming themselves for struggles that were never character flaws.

They lose jobs.

Relationships suffer.

Mental health declines.

Self-esteem erodes.

All while believing they’re failing, when in reality they simply haven’t had access to the information and support they deserve.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to understand how their brain works.

Why This Matters

Receiving a diagnosis isn’t about putting people into a box.

It’s about giving them the language to understand themselves.

It’s about replacing decades of shame with self-compassion.

It’s about finally realizing:

“I’m not broken. My brain works differently.”

That understanding opens the door to accommodations, appropriate treatment, practical executive functioning support, and healthier relationships with ourselves and others.

But diagnosis alone isn’t enough.

Neurodivergent adults deserve care that helps them build lives that work with their brains—not care that focuses solely on teaching them to appear “normal.”

We deserve affirming, evidence-based support that recognizes neurodiversity rather than asking people to mask who they are.

We Call On Policymakers and Insurance Providers To:

Require affordable insurance coverage for comprehensive adult ADHD and autism assessments.
Reduce wait times by increasing access to qualified clinicians trained to evaluate adults.
Expand clinician training so ADHD and autism are recognized across genders, cultures, and throughout adulthood.
Increase funding for neurodiversity-affirming services, executive functioning support, and post-diagnosis education.
Ensure adults have access to evidence-based care that supports quality of life—not simply symptom management or conformity.

Why I’m Asking You to Sign

No one should have to wait decades to understand themselves.

No one should have to choose between paying thousands of dollars for an assessment or continuing to believe they’re lazy, broken, or failing.

I know what it’s feels like to spend over fifty years wondering why life seemed harder than it should.

I also know the relief that comes from finally having an answer.

Let’s make sure future generations of adults don’t have to wait as long as we did.

Together, we can advocate for affordable, timely, and affirming access to ADHD and autism assessments so that everyone has the opportunity to understand their brain—and receive the support they deserve.

Please sign this petition and help us make “Adults Deserve Answers” a reality.