Psychological Testing for Autism
If you have suspected you or your child, adolescent, or young adult has or previously received the diagnosis but with little extra information, psychological testing for autism may help you understand their unique strengths and challenges as our autism assessment services go well beyond just stating whether the diagnosis is present. An autism evaluation helps your child reach their potential. If you are an adult looking for an ASD evaluation for yourself or a loved one, we provide more details about that service on another page.
Benefits of Psychological Testing for Autism
Psychological testing for autism is possible at almost any age. Have you wondered whether you might have this diagnosis, or have people close to you said that you should look into it? Getting a diagnosis can be quite positive, allowing you to embark on a journey of understanding and insight that can be very fulfilling. Psych testing may be helpful.
New Insights
Learning whether you or your child has this diagnosis can bring new and welcome insight into your emotional, social, and behavioral reactions. This, in turn, can help you develop a greater understanding and acceptance of yourself.
Help Others Understand You
Whether at school or in their social life, helping others understand their unique ways of responding and coping so they can work with their strengths and avoid areas where they might face challenges.
Coping Strategies
Knowing yourself better can help you design more unique and powerful coping strategies and stress management techniques. This insight can also help you develop realistic and important goals and reach them.
Career and Job Skills Insights
An ASD evaluation can help your teenagers make choices at their current job. The insights from testing can help them eventually design a perfect career path or modify your current job description. Maximize your strengths.
Psychological Testing for Autism Instruments
Social and Behavioral
We start each autism evaluation with measures of social and behavioral functioning – how do you respond in a variety of circumstances in your life? These patterns can be compared to how people with and without the diagnosis often respond.
Specific Measures
Often depending on what we see in step 1, we move to specific autism assessment instruments designed to help determine the unique ways your possible diagnosis affects you in various areas of your life.
Specific Autism Assessment Add-Ons
Finally, we want to provide specific instruments to give information and insight about the areas you want to address. We may focus on work, relationships, or school and tailor suggestions accordingly.
Psychological Testing for Autism Overview
We offer an ASD evaluation to help people determine whether they have mild diagnoses, and to help those who do understand the unique aspects of their diagnosis and what it means for many areas of their life.
We offer this service to help people determine whether they have mild symptoms and to help those who do understand the unique aspects of their diagnosis and what it means for many areas of their life. We also offer this service for children and adolescents, including in our preschool evaluations when indicated.
Psychological testing for autism involves a comprehensive assessment to gather information about an individual’s behavior, development, and social interaction patterns to determine whether they meet the criteria for an ASD diagnosis. Most people seeking our services wondering about this diagnosis are more likely to have a mild version because more significant symptoms would have led to an earlier diagnosis.
Components of Psychological Testing for Autism
Here are some common components of psychological testing for autism:
1. Clinical Interview: We will conduct a thorough interview with the individual and, if the client would like, their parents and partners to gather information about the person’s developmental history, social interactions, communication skills, and any behavioral concerns. Since we cannot do observations of the person in certain circumstances, we might ask questions about what different social situations have been like.
2. Standardized Assessments: Various standardized tests and questionnaires may be used to assess different aspects of the person’s functioning. The ASD evaluation includes measures of communication skills, social interaction abilities, and certain thoughts and behaviors commonly associated with autism. If available and the client would like, parents may be asked to complete questionnaires or rating scales that provide valuable information about the individual’s behavior, social interactions, and communication skills.
3. Cognitive and Executive Functioning: In some cases, cognitive testing may be included to assess the individual’s executive functioning, attention, and problem-solving skills as part of an autism assessment. This can help determine if there are any co-occurring learning differences.
4. Developmental History: The evaluator may review the individual’s developmental milestones, such as when they reached key developmental markers (e.g., babbling, walking, or speaking). This may require information from parents.
Your Unique Assessment
The specific tests and procedures used can vary depending on the professional conducting the evaluation and the individual’s age and specific concerns. We will tailor the psychological testing for autism evaluation around your specific hopes and expectations.
Autism Evaluation Example
An autism evaluation typically involves multiple components to ensure a comprehensive assessment. Here is an outline of what an autism assessment might include:
Autism Assessment Pre-Evaluation
We start by going over the referral question and initial concerns—the referrals often some from a pediatrician, teacher, or concerned caregiver. We track the initial concerns regarding social, communication, and behavioral development. Our goal is to ensure that the autism evaluation goes well beyond just saying whether the diagnosis is present and also describes ways to help the person reach their potential and understand any challenges that might arise.
Part of the autism assessment pre-evaluation is gathering a detailed developmental and medical history, including prenatal, birth, and developmental milestones. We also take a family history of developmental disorders or mental health conditions.
Autism Evaluation Components
The following are the ASD evaluation Components we commonly use
1. Screening Tools depend on the client’s age and could include, for example:
- M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers): A parent-completed questionnaire to identify children at risk.
- Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ): A developmental screening tool.
2. Developmental Observations
- Direct observation of the child in various settings, such as home, school, or clinic.
- Use of standardized observation tools, like the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
3. Standardized Autism Assessment also depend on the person’s age, for example:
- Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is a structured interview with parents.
- Cognitive and Developmental Assessments include tools like the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) or the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development.
4. Speech and Language Evaluation is often part of an autism assessment and includes:
- Assessment of receptive and expressive language skills.
- Evaluation of nonverbal communication and pragmatic language use.
Post Autism Evaluation
We always schedule a feedback session with individuals, parents, caregivers, and anyone else they’d like to invite. In these feedback sessions we present the evaluation results, discuss the diagnosis including specific and unique aspects, and recommend certain interventions and resources. We also produce a comprehensive autism assessment report with assessment results, diagnostic impressions, and recommendations.
Periodic Re-evaluation
Some clients and families opt for regular follow-ups to monitor progress and adjust interventions as necessary.
FAQ
Here are some of the common questions people ask about Psychological Testing for Autism.
You can also contact us or schedule a consultation to get more information.
How Long Will Psychological Testing for Autism Last?
Testing involves two testing sessions of 60-90 minutes, with the first one usually being longer because it includes an intake. We will also have a 45-minute feedback session to go over your report.
Do the Results Go Beyond the Diagnosis
Yes! While an ASD evaluation will tell you whether you meet the criteria for a full diagnosis, the actual goal is to give you ideas about your strengths and challenges that will help you find new opportunities. An ASD evaluation is positively focused and designed to talk about potential.
When Will I Get the Report and Results
The entire process should take less than a month, with a draft psychological testing report between 2-3 weeks from testing, and a meeting to make sure it answers your questions a few days later.
Can Psychological Testing for Autism be Combined?
Yes, we often do an ASD evaluation in combination with other testing assessments such as Personality evaluation, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Intelligence Quotient (IQ). We may suggest a combination as we get to know you and understand your questions.
Contact Us About Psychological Testing for Autism!
We’d be happy to talk to you more about how an autism assessment or more general testing for neurodivergence can benefit you. We also offer specialty autism testing for teens and for those with mild symptoms we do testing for high functioning autism.
