One of the best ways to reach and reassure kids, and parents alike, is through a trusted and reliable child-friendly medium.
No one understands this better than Tara Carman-French, Director, ADHD, LD, and EF Coach at Artemis Assessment & Treatment Centre.
Tara and staff have been working with neurodivergent individuals of all ages for over 30 years. The centre was established in 1993 and is home to ten staff members.
They provide tailored psychological and educational assessments to empower individuals and support their personal and academic growth. Findings can help clients better navigate private and public education, post-secondary education, interpersonal relationships, and the workplace.
Staff also created Fidgety and Friends, a series of utterly delightful kid- (and adult-) friendly educational puppet videos, to try to further break the stigma of ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities.
“We started it to offer a fun and engaging way to talk about these difficult subjects, help young clients feel comfortable being assessed, and, hopefully, add a bit of fun to a difficult topic,” she says.
Before being hired as the Program Manager, Tara had a long career in theatre. “The work here was incredibly rewarding, so I decided to train as an ADHD coach at the iACT Centre to extend our services. A few years after that, I purchased the company,” explains the Director.
Currently assessments are conducted in-person only, though ADHD and ASD coaching are available virtually. They look forward to offering remote, virtual assessments in the coming months.
Right now, the Fidgety and Friends videos have gained quite a following and the response to them has been wonderful, says Tara. You can find them on the centre’s Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok social media channels. “It is very rewarding to be able to offer a different perspective on a subject that can be challenging for people,” she says.
They keep experimenting with different video formats.
“At this point, I plan on keeping the bulk of the videos very short and informational. About once a month or so, we will release a long-format video that is just fun. Beyond that, we are considering offering a comic/colouring book at some point in the future,” says Tara.
She always welcomes the opportunity to share information and reach as many people as possible. In September, she will be presenting a free seminar on self-advocacy for neurodivergent parents of neurodivergent children at the Centre for Diverse Learners Symposium.
In her role as Director, she has helped hundreds of individuals and parents navigate the process of ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Learning Disability Assessment. Says Tara, “I am passionate about helping my clients learn to advocate for themselves and discover ways to embrace their unique learning style and the gifts it offers them.”
Direct billing available
For many, cost can be a significant barrier to getting help. Thankfully clients no longer need to worry about paying the full assessment amount up front. Direct billing for psychology became available at the end of 2025; Artemis began offering it in April 2026.
“Assessment is covered by extended health care and we are able to direct-bill to insurance,” she explains. “We are now offering direct billing to most major insurance providers for our services related to ADHD, learning disabilities, and neurodivergent individuals. Please contact us to verify if your insurance plan is covered.”
Find support at Artemis Assessment & Treatment Centre or call 1-888-239-1483.
