FAQ

What if I’m not sure I’m neurodivergent?

That’s okay. If you want, we can work together to figure out if a neurodivergent-related diagnosis is appropriate for you. If you aren’t interested in a neurodivergent-related diagnosis, that’s okay, too. Counseling and therapy that is individualized and sensitive to each person’s needs and goals is beneficial regardless of neurotype.

How long does it take to get a formal diagnosis, if I want one?

The general rule of thumb is that any diagnosis should be considered “provisional” (a best guess) for at least three sessions, and maybe longer. This is due to the amount of information that is needed before a diagnosis can be given.

  • Session One: Client history

  • Session Two: Clinical Interview

  • Session Three:

    • (Option one)More clinical interview, formal assessments (if needed)

    • (Option two) Review of information gathered, discuss results/formal report and diagnostic impression

I am legally and ethically required (as are other practitioners) to review with you any formal report I make that is based on any formal testing you complete with me. This includes making any necessary corrections, explaining the assessments, and explaining the results and my reasons behind any conclusions I made. I cannot give you a copy of a formal report without reviewing it with you.

Sometimes it takes more than three sessions to gather the needed information. There are many possible reasons why an accurate diagnosis takes more than 3 sessions. Here are a few of the many possible reasons:

  1. There’s more than one diagnosis present.

  2. There are two possible diagnoses and it takes time to gather enough information to tell them apart.

  3. The diagnosis is complex and requires a lot of time to gather the appropriate information.

  4. It takes time for a client to feel comfortable enough to share certain information or begin unmasking.

Why don’t I use the ADOS to assess for Autism Spectrum Disorder?

The short answer is that it is an observational assessment.

The longer answer:

  • I cannot appropriately give an observational assessment via telehealth.

  • Observation-based assessments do not include the person’s experience of themselves and the world. They do not include questions about how someone thinks or reacts internally to experiences or sensations. These are important aspects of any type of neurodivergence and are not accessible via the ADOS.

  • Generally, if you have reached adulthood and completed compulsory schooling and have not already been assessed for ASD, it’s quite likely that your observable behaviors were not “enough” to warrant a closer look. So, it would be important to use something other than observation-based formal assessments.

  • Along the same lines, many adults mask Autistic behaviors (both consciously and unconsciously), so an observation-based assessment may be inappropriate for those people.

  • Lastly, many elements of observation-based assessments are not sensitive enough to pick out extroverted and highly verbal Autistic people (especially those who were assigned female at birth and socialized as girls/women).

Why don’t I use the ADI-R to assess for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

The ADI-R is an observation-based assessment, so it has many of the same problems as the ADOS.

The ADI-R is, also, often not appropriate for adult populations because it an interview with a “parent or caretaker who is familiar with the developmental history and current behavior of the individual being evaluated.”

For many adults, asking a parent or former caregiver to complete and assessment is not possible or very problematic.

For those clients who wish to complete formal assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder, which assessments do I provide?

The following is a list of formal assessments I provide for ASD. If there is a specific assessment you are interested in that isn’t listed below, feel free to contact me.

  • Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)

  • Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)

  • Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI)

  • Empathy Quotient - 40 Item Version (EQ-40)

  • Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness 2 (MAIA-2)

  • Repetitive Behaviors Questionnaire - Self (RBQ3-self)

Depending on the individual, I may also recommend a screening for ADHD (since AuADHD exists) using assessments like the Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ) and the ADHD Self-Report Scale v.1.1 (ASRS v1.1).

If observation-based assessments aren’t always a good fit for adults, why do I use the CAARS-2 to assess for ADHD?

A formal assessment like the CAARS-2 is often not required to make an accurate ADHD diagnosis. But, sometimes people benefit from seeing behaviors they consider “normal” as ADHD-type behaviors. The CAARS-2 can provide individuals with these behavior-oriented questions in a clear format.

Other individuals may benefit from completing the CAARS-2 and receiving a formal report that includes other formal assessment results. These individuals may need a formal report like this in order to receive medical care for their ADHD.