Assessment and Treatment for Adults with Asperger's Disorder and High-Functioning Autism
In addition to services for children and adolescents with Asperger's or Autism Spectrum Disorder I am one of the few providers in BC with extensive experience working with young adults and adults with autism and Asperger’s Disorder / Syndrome. As a matter of fact, over the past twenty years more and more of my practice has focused on working with young adults and family,social, school or work-place issues. This includes social coaching, work-place evaluations, intervention planning and family consultations. I see numerous couples where one or both members have or suspect they have ASD. I also complete comprehensive diagnostic evaluations of adult Aspergers for ASD.  These assessments are often used for disability tax credits, qualifying for different types of disability support programs, or qualifying for accommodations and support services in school, university of the workplace.

Services for Autism and Asperger's Disorder / Syndrome

• Assessment and Diagnostic Services (autism, Asperger’s, ADHD and related disorders). Assessments for Asperger's and high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cost a maximum of $1,950.  Forensic assessment, those involving legal or workplace issues, are billed on an individual basis.
• Workplace consultations and site-based education programs
• Community-based social coaching programs for individuals with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s Disorder / Syndrome
• Educational / Social coaching for young adults in the workplace, college, and similar settings
• Social coaching for adults with high-functioning autism, Asperger's Disorder/Syndrome
• Couples counselling for couples dealing with adult autism, adult  Asperger's Disorder /Syndrome

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What is Your Background for Providing Treatment for Adults with Asperger's and High Functioning Autism?
My background for working with adults starts with my work with children and adolescents for over two decades. Understanding adult ASD symptoms requires being familiar with the developmental issues of Asperger's and high-functioning autism. I have worked as a teacher of special education, a school psychologist, a district behaviour specialist for autism and a provincial consultant for autism and related disorders providing consultation throughout the province of British Columbia.

Three other important skills and experience also come into play in working with adults with Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism. First, I have several years of experience working as a neuropsychological consultant with Rehab Without Walls in California which provided me with experience in working with workplace related problems. Second, many adults come to me with concerns about their relationships, including couple relations and relations as a parent. Before becoming a registered psychologist I was a licensed and Registered Marriage and Family Therapist and have worked as a couple and family therapist for over 30 years. This includes advanced training in the Gottman Couple's Therapy technique. Third, one of the most commonly used individual therapy techniques when working with adults with Asperger's or High Functioning Autism is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT. I hold an advanced certificate in CBT from the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City. My original training in psychology was in behaviour therapy, which is often a critical knowledge base when teaching individuals specific compensatory skills.

What are some of the aims of therapy for adults with Asperger's or high functioning autism?

• to teach new cognitive and behavioral skills that were never learned
• to teach compensatory strategies for deficits that cannot be changed
• to facilitate self-acceptance
• to teach strategies to decrease or prevent symptoms of co-morbid mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders and depression 

Most importantly, I try to help you discover ways to make life easier, how to reach your goals, and try to help you be as happy and fulfilled in life as you want to be.

Do you work with ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) and Executive Dysfunction?
ADHD is now often diagnosed along with Asperger's Disorder of High Functioning Autism. Much of my work with children, adolescents and adults focuses on ADHD and deficits of executive function. Executive function is the concept referring to the cognitive processes required to plan and direct activities, including what we refer to as task-initiation and follow-through, working memory, sustained attention, performance monitoring, inhibition of impulses, and goal-directed persistence. It also affects an individual's ability to control and modulate their emotions.

Many clients I see have deficits in executive functioning which prevents them from having the necessary skills to perform well in school, work or in social settings. With these clients we often need to make diagnostic decisions through testing and assessment, and then develop an individualized treatment plan addressing school, home and work. This might involve individual behavioural therapy, school or work consultation, referral to medical professionals, and psychoeducation.

I often provide reading material, training videos and demonstrate and practice specific intervention techniques with clients. Much of the work we do in the area of ADHD is based upon the research and treatment programs developed by Dr. Russell Barkley. Please refer to my ADHD/ADD page for more information.

What about Anxiety, Depression or Family Issues?
 Adolescents and adults are seen for both diagnostic assessments and treatment of depression, anxiety and behaviour problems that might arise out of environmental or interpersonal situations. These individuals might take part in cognitive based therapy or counselling, or they might be provided with more traditional supportive therapy.  Anxiety and depression are frequent co-morbid disorders for adults with Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism and need to be addressed in treatment.

How Do I Make an Appointment and is there a Waiting List?
You may phone my office at 778.998-7975 or email me to begin setting up an appointment. I always start by meeting for an initial session to gather a developmental history, hear about your current issues, and to develop a plan of where to go from here. An assessment may or may not be the best choice, and you should fully understand what your options are before proceeding. Fees for initial and ongoing sessions are $185.00 per hour and may be paid by cash, check or through PayPal. 

Please visit my website at:

www.relatedminds.com

http://www.relatedminds.com/adult-autism-and-aspergers-disorder

What is a Psychoeducational Assessment?

I am often asked by parents to complete a psychoeducational assessment and a good part of the time they are unsure exactly what it is and why it is necessary. Here are some simple answers about psychoeducational assessments:

A psychoeducational is a report produced by either a school psychologist or a registered psychologist that looks at a student's academic skill set, their intellectual capacities and behaviours and tried to determine where they stand compared to either their age group or grade. From the information we look at their intellectual capacity - by using an IQ test, to some extent their neuro-developmental levels with tools that look at writing speed, auditory processing and related specific skills, and we compare those to their current academic skill looking for unexpected deficits - sometimes called "discrepancies." A good psychoeducational assessment also looks at a child's social and behavioural development, and if your lucky, emotional development.

All this information, as well as observations and history, are used to develop an education plan called an IEP or Individualized Education Plan. That plan, developed WITH the parents present (not developed by the school and presented to you, you should be there to develop it with the school because you know a lot about your child) should consider the child's deficits that need to be addressed, and then their strengths that might be helpful in addressing those deficits (for instance, a child might have poor auditory memory but out of this world visual memory ....that visual memory can be used to address the deficit area). The plan should address all significant deficits that make learning difficult, and should list measurable goals the school will meet on they way. It should also address in detail how the school and teacher are going to support the student in reaching those goals.

Too many IEPs in BC say, "Tommy will learn to multiply," and fail to state what was originally interfering with his ability to multiply (maybe being off task, having problems focusing or maybe a visual-spatial problem that can be addressed with larger print or another supportive scaffold) and how we -the school ,the teacher and the parents, are going to teach him and support him.

At many IEP meetings I just want to ask, "And how is that going to happen with YOUR support?" That is exactly what the psychoeducational assessment is designed to address. What are this student's strengths and weaknesses, and how can we use this knowledge to support the student in meeting these reasonable educational goals.

That's, in general, how a psychoeducational assessment helps a student, and why we need a psychoeducational assessment every time a student is "coded" or "labeled" as needing special education support services. Students with cognitive deficits, students with specific learning disabilities, students with autism, Aspeger's or emotional problems. Parents often ask why a psychoeducational assessment is necessary for their child who is diagnosed with Aspeger's or autism spectrum disorder. The answer is, "To tell us where the student is academically and SOCIALLY - this is a student with ASD - and tell us about the student's strengths and weaknesses so we can develop not just a plan that states goals, but a plan that tells us what we - the school, the teacher and the parents- can do to support that student in reaching that goals.

Regretfully students in BC are on long waiting lists for psychoeducational assessments. These should be completed by the school district, however, most districts are low on funds and staffing, Because of that many parents make the choice of going to a registered psychologist for a psychoeducational assessment. Please visit my web page at www.relatedminds.com for information about psychoeducational assessments. In addition to being a licensed and registered psychologist I am also a certified school psychologist with over two decades of experience in the school system. This includes working as a program director, behaviour program specialist, school psychologist, counsellor and classroom teacher.

www.relatedminds.com
Dr. Jim Roche
relatedminds@gmail.com
778.998-7975