I am often asked about how to get an adult autism diagnosis, this might mean the individual or a family member has concerns about autism Asperger's Disorder (in spite of the fact it is no longer part of the official DSM-5 diagnostic categories it is still what people ask about and talk about) or sometimes they have previously been told they might have a "non-verbal learning disorder."
The short answer to their questions is, yes, I do adult assessments for the diagnosis of autism, Asperger's and other related disorders. You are welcome to look at my website at www.relatedminds.com to find out about the process.
The longer answer is complicated. A diagnosis of autism, Asperger's or any similar problem can be simple, or it can be complicated. And what you need the diagnosis for makes a difference. How can that be?
If you are having difficulty at work, socially, and perhaps are in some sort of trouble due to what you suspect is Asperger's Disorder we need to do a very complete assessment. That means not only looking for the symptoms of Aspegers or autism, as you likely did on line somewhere, but also look at other possible reasons for the same symptoms. And there are many of those. Sometimes a personality disorder or anxiety looks like Asperger's or autism. Sometimes ADHD does. Or these disorders might mask the symptoms. For a comprehensive assessment that you can use in a situation such as a legal case we need to follow the same guidelines as we would for a child or teen applying for funding with the Ministry of Children and Family Services. That means several lengthy tests, self reports and collecting a comprehensive history from someone who knew you at a pretty early age. This can be a long and expensive process, and one that is not necessarily important to you.
At other times wives bring in their husbands, or husbands bring in their wives, or brothers bring a brother in, to find out why there has been such ongoing, long term social difficulty between them. This does not always need to involve all these steps, and sometimes it's best to get right to work and spend our efforts on dealing with immediate symptoms and relationship issues. We would undertake a briefer assessment, and deal with problems as we find them. This doesn't mean that we don't do an assessment, but the standards and requirements are different when your involved in possible legal issues - including having difficulty at work.
So it's hard to answer these questions directly, as the situation is different from person to person. It's best to set up an initial visit with a professional, have a brief assessment done and then together make a determination about where you are going and what needs to be done after all the choices are put in front of you.
Uncertainty is hard to deal with, it causes anxiety for individuals with Asperger's and related disorders. But it's better to start from a position of knowledge than to just guess at what the final goal might be.
For more information about my services for adults with Asperger's, autism and related disorders please visit my website at: www.relatedmings.com.
You can also find out more about me at my Psychology Today webpage: http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/name/Jim_Roche_JD,PhD,CAGS,RPsych,RMFT_Burnaby_British+Columbia_70682
Dr. Jim Roche email: relatedminds@gmail.com phone: 778.998-7975
