In my Burnaby office I provide testing and diagnostic services for adults who are concerned about Asperger's Disorder or High Functioning Autism. You can find more specific information about adult autism / Asperger's Disorder testing on the following webpage: http://www.relatedminds.com/adult-autism-and-aspergers-disorder/
A professional diagnosis for Asperger's is necessary and should be based on the following:
Observations of specific behaviours and abilities by a highly trained professional. This might include a psychiatrist, psychologist, speech pathologist or medical doctor familiar with this disorder. The individual should be familiar with Asperger's Disorder over the lifespan.
In addition to a face-to-face semi-structured clinical interview it is highly recommended that a professional normed diagnostic tool be used such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). Other tools that are sometimes used include the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-R (ADI-R). These may not be normed for the adult's particular age range so they may be used to gather data in a less formal but still highly structured manner.
In addition to this an comprehensive assessment needs to include information from a third part, both as o current symptoms and if possible, about childhood symptoms.
Because of the limited information we often have available for adults as compared to children we also include a short neuropsychological screening to help us understand neurological symptoms and strengths and weaknesses. A additional neurological exam might also be part of this examination.
A general understanding of an adults current social and adaptive abilities is also necessary, so an intelligence test and adaptive abilities test might be necessary.
Finally, Aspeger's Disorder is often misdiagnosed when an underlying personality issue is present, so a comprehensive personality assessment to rule out other possible reasons for these symptoms is necessary.
The cost of such an assessment is approximately $1,200. Forensic assessments, those involving legal or workplace issues, are billed on an individual basis. Some individuals with other possible disorders may require further assessment.
There are some psychiatrists in the lower mainland who are able to complete this type of assessment, however they have waiting lists and you would need a referral from your medical doctor. Please see your medical doctor about that process.
Assessments by a psychologist are not covered in BC by MSP. This is regrettable, as this also applies to children. Children seeking an autism diagnosis/Aspeger's diagnosis should ask their medical doctor for a referral to Children's Hospital or another provincial provider. Extended health care often covers some of these expenses, but you need to contact your insurance provider for information on what they will cover.
The process of obtaining an adult diagnosis of Asperger's is complicated. It is not simply about seeing if you have a list of symptoms, and many of these on-line lists are very misleading in that they strongly suggest you have a disorder based upon a list of symptoms but do not provide any "differential" component to the diagnosis. A diagnosis is not just seeing what problem you have, but ruling out other possible reasons for the symptoms that may mimic Aspegers but not be Aspergers at all! Finally, it needs to be remembered that even if you do have Aspeger's there is a high chance that you have a comorbid disorder such as anxiety, depression or ADHD. Often, until these co-morbid disorders are treated there is little progress made on dealing with the troublesome aspects of Asperger's.
If you suspect you have Aspeger's start with a visit to your medical doctor, and then see either a psychiatrist, psychologist or speech pathologist with experience in this field.
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This post is not meant to offer medical advice or suggest any medical diagnosis. If you suspect you have a mental health disorder, or suffer from symptoms that you find distressing, speak with your medical doctor or psychologist.
Form information on assessments and treatment I provide in my Burnaby office please visit my web page at http://www.relatedminds.com
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