This assessment is for those who are 16 year of age or older who suspect that they may fit somewhere on the Autism Spectrum. The assessment follows a prescribed series of interviews and observational assessments that allows the psychologist to definitively assess for autism. When possible, these assessments will collect auxiliary data from parents, siblings, and/or loved ones.
Why get an assessment for autism?
Our understanding and appreciation of autism has shifted hugely over the past two decades. We now understand that the spectrum includes a significant number of individuals that would have previously been overlooked for autism due to their strong intellectual abilities and more subtle clinical presentation. More importantly, we also now know that those individuals who match this ‘newer’ autism presentation can have a number of ongoing challenges in the areas of executive functioning, emotional regulation, adaptive functioning, and sensory reactivity that can significantly impact their day-to-day lives.
Given the newer appreciation for the breadth of the autism spectrum, many of our clients are seeking an autism assessment to better understand themselves and to validate the struggles/strengths that they have been experiencing all of their lives. While the vast majority of our assessment clients are primarily interested in receiving a professional or ‘official’ diagnosis of autism to help validate their day-to-day experiences, others are looking to get more targeted resources, supports, adjustments, or accommodations in their work/academic life. Finally, for those that are significantly impacted by their challenges, an autism diagnosis can help access specific federal and provincial disability supports.
The process
The autism assessment process for children in BC has been well-regulated and follows a series of best-practice guidelines that were developed in 2003 (www.phsa.ca/Documents/asd_standards_0318.pdf). Currently, there are no such best practice guidelines for adults in BC. Our clinicians have been trained -and worked within -the child best practice guidelines for a number of years and have been adapting them to the adult population consistently since 2015.
As such, we currently use a number of ‘gold standard’ autism measures, secondary questionnaires, clinical interviews, and a review of past reports to help inform our diagnostic approach. The three core areas we examine are: social interaction, social communication, and restricted interests and repetitive behaviours (e.g., special interests, compulsive behaviours, stimming, and sensory issues).
We use a very broad-based approach to collect as much information as possible about these three areas that are specific to our individual assessment clients.
1. Online questionnaires
Before we sit down for our clinical interview, we send out and collect a number of questionnaires that include autism ratings, executive functioning, and general mental health.
Past Reports: When and where appropriate, we also ask for any past assessment reports to help provide some historical perspective and to help identify any prior diagnostic patterns.
2. Clinical Interviews
a. Client Interview
We set aside two hours for the interview with our psychologists to allow for a detailed and descriptive history collection. The interview will range over a number of important topics like family, relationships, schooling, employment, and of course, autism experiences. We know that this can be a stressful time for some and we make every effort to provide a safe and comfortable environment to help with the process. Because it is a relatively small amount of time to share ‘everything’, some individuals like to provide additional information prior to and/or after the interview to ensure that extra details aren’t missed.
b. Observer Interview
The role of the ‘observer’ in this assessment process is two-fold. First, the observer’s experiences and examples are extremely helpful in providing additional clinical information. Second, when possible, the observer can provide historical information about what the person was like when they were younger, which can help distinguish autism from other conditions with overlapping symptoms.
c. Additional Consultations
If the assessment client is working directly with another mental health specialist (Registered Clinical Counsellor, Psychologist, or Psychiatrist), and they give consent, we may have a quick consultation with the specialist so they can provide additional information that will help the diagnostic process.
3. Feedback Meeting
Typically, we schedule an online feedback meeting two to four weeks after the assessment to allow time for us to collect any additional information. During the feedback meeting, the Psychologist will go over all of the online questionnaires, observations, consultations and outline the diagnostic outcome. Regardless of whether the outcome is a “yes” or “no” for autism, the clinician will provide the appropriate resources, referrals, and recommendations specific to the client’s needs at the time of the feedback.
4. Report
Following the feedback meeting, the Psychologist will prepare and share a formal assessment report. The report will be provided through the secure Jane app we use and will not be provided to any third party without the consent of the assessed individual. The reports typically include an overview of the measure and observations in addition to providing formal diagnostic information. Each report will have a number of recommendations that are individualized to the client’s needs.
Feel free to get in touch to talk to our administrative and clinical team about this process.