Adult Autism Diagnostic Process (Step-by-Step) ✏️ Do 👉THIS 👈 Before You Go

Seeking an autism diagnosis as an adult can be confusing and intimidating. In this video I'll walk you step-by-step through what the diagnostic process can look like including tests, sample questions, timelines, and the #1 best thing I can recommend you do pre-evaluation to ensure you get the diagnosis you're looking for.

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I'm Tay, a mom of two who received an autism diagnosis at the age of 31. At the beginning of my journey it was hard to find others who were in a similar situation, so I started this channel to share resources, information and products that have been helpful along the way. I am not sponsored, so everything I share is something I find genuinely useful!

I’m also not a doctor, so please talk with your provider before incorporating any suggestions I make in my videos. This video is based on my own personal experience and not to be taken as medical advice.

Help me continue creating free content by subscribing to my channel! It's free and you'll get updated any time I post a new video. And as females are highly under-diagnosed, please share with any others you feel could benefit from this information.

The diagnostic process can look different for everyone, but the main parts of my experience were:

Extensive History Background Forms (1:45)
Pre-Evaluation Questionnaires (3:03)
Pre-Evaluation Questionnaires for Relatives (6:17)
In-Person Interview (6:58)
In-Person Testing (8:52)
Self-Evaluation Write-Up (11:05) *THE MOST IMPORTANT PART*

TESTS/QUESTIONNAIRES FOR SELF

(*Even though you can take some of these tests online, it’s extremely important to have the results measured and evaluated by a professional.)

QUESTIONNAIRES FOR RELATIVE

RESOURCES

ADDITIONAL VIDEOS

Music by Milky Wayvers

#autism​​​​​​ #autistic​​​ #mentalhealth​​​ #mentalhealthdx​​​ #diagnosis​​​ #autisticfemale​

[michelleflegal]

Thank you for saying Keep being weird. My mother said "Quit being weird!" my whole life. Its nice to know that I'm not alone.

[KiraAfter_Dark]

I've been suspecting ASD for a while now, and writing down things that fit really helped. As I learned more about Autism the list got longer and longer and longer. When I met my doctor yesterday it was 18 pages. It really helped out since when he asked "What made you suspect this?" and I couldn't put it into words at all.

[cosmicgamingadventures]

every time i take one of the tests, i get a high probability but i keep gaslighting myself and telling myself that i'm faking it bc of my family and how they've always said that i fake everything (i don't)

[susanlaing]

67 year old woman, finally seeing my past in a light that makes sense. Thank you for sharing your experience. All the best to you.

[iamdreamom]

I was diagnosed with “inattentive ADD, a Specific Learning Disability, “anxiety and depression around times of transition”, and sensory processing disorder in 1984. Autism was not even on the table for me. I have 6 kids, 4 of whom exhibit varying degrees of autistic traits, and in researching for them I have seen that I am very likely autistic. I am also realizing the extent to which certain behaviours were trained in (or out) of me, and the energy it takes to comply with that. It is no wonder people are surprised that I would consider the diagnosis for myself, but if they could see what is happening in my brain… the self talk through the steps of interaction, the self evaluation after - trying to determine if I “did it right”… I come across as friendly and fairly outgoing, but a LOT of it is intentional acting - I just didn’t realize I was the ‘only’ person doing it - I thought EVERYONE was acting social, or just not good at it - It has also put into perspective what I ask of my kids. Unfortunately I am such a good actor, and a good acting coach, that I and my kids have a hard time getting the referral I need for diagnosis (in ON Canada)

[GhostIntoTheFog]

In my experience as an autistic adult seeking a formal diagnosis in the United States, there are two options.

1) Pay thousands out of pocket to a provider who can’t be bothered to accept insurance.

2) If you’re lucky enough to have a provider in your area who accepts insurance, sign up on their waiting list, and, if you’re lucky, you’ll be called in in a year or two. If you’re not that lucky, pull out your wallet or accept you’ll be self-diagnosed for life.

Diagnosis is healthcare and healthcare is a human right. The above shouldn’t be our only options.

[Autisticheather]

I was trying to be ok with a thoroughly researched self diagnosis and was concerned about how ila diagnosis would effect my future insurance situations and situations like adoption or fostering. But every day i had to convince myself over again that i was autistic. My self doubt was a daily mountain to climb. So i decided yesterday to go ahead and get formally diagnosed. I don't need that extra mountain every day when i already have so many. Now im scared to death they will say im not autistic. Which i will not believe, but at the same time validate my self doubt and self gaslighting... along with being gaslit by others my entire life. So im scared. But im going to do it. I love answering wurst questions about myself so although i know it will be grueling i think i will enjoy it and having someone to hear me.

[Skyjamb]

It would have been great to be diagnosed when I was young, but that never happened. I am 67 and thought I would be upset by learning now, but not so much. It answers a lot of questions about why I was several steps different from everyone else. Autism is not a death sentence, but instead, it is a way to connect with a lot more people. It just answers so many questions.

[Disgruntled_Kinkajou]

I struggle with the questionnaires. I was told years ago by the Kelberman Center in NY State that I am definitively not autistic, due to my questionnaire answers, and a short interview where she said it was clearly just OCD (I was diagnosed years beforehand with OCD). I don't remember the questions, but a lot of them were geared toward ruling out OCD, but there may have been similar ones to the test you showed. One example in the photo in your video is "I usually notice car number plates or similar strings of information." In the past, I would fixate on the car number plates part, and possibly say no because I don't notice car number plates often. But I do notice and fixate on other types of visual information because they interest me, so the answer should be yes for me. I believe the tests need to be made differently, as there is a tendency for autistic people to hyperfixate on an example given, instead of thinking about other examples and the overall question being asked. So instead, it should say "I frequently notice strings of information, " instead of giving any specific example that could lead to a different answer. I also feel like I remember many of the questions being about very basic things, like eye contact, instead of really delving into topics like being sensitive to rejection, getting upset when plans change, getting overwhelmed by hot temperatures, etcetera. A lot of them feel like they were written by someone who just goes "by the book" based on their schooling, rather than learning from actual autistic peoples' experiences and applying that and incorporating it into treatment.

[TheINFP_Diary]

I originally wrote 24 pages of information about myself to show my psychologist, I narrowed it and organized it to 15 pages, I brought my notebook with me, but the only time I opened the book was to hand her my report cards. I regret forgetting to show her but she said I did a great job of helping her understand by just talking

[janinemills]

I found this sooo helpful, especially with having the closed captions. Thanks for sharing your journey x

[Laggr]

Going to have my diagnostic appointment in a week and just watched your video a couple of hours ago and now had to come back to comment. You said you wrote 21 pages about yourself and your experiences before going to yours. I heard that, thought to myself "oh god, I could never get myself to write that much about me." 2 hours later and 10 pages in I'm like "I'm not even done talking about my time in school, wtf"
Thank you for this video. It continues to be a great help to people like me :) You are awesome!

[whitneymason]

It's interesting how different the process is for children vs. adults. My son saw a children's behavioral psychologist at age 2 and they used the ADOS-2 and interviewed me and my husband to evaluate him. With me, I saw a psychologist and had about 6 one hour sessions. I did the AQ test, filled out some questions and they interviewed me and my mom about my childhood. It was very draining and hard to wait each week, but I finally got my diagnosis at 30! Thanks for sharing your story, really enjoy your channel and your positive attitude!

[channelhandle]

Thanks for this video. I looked up the Aspie quiz and jumped right into it. I didn't even bother studying for it and got a 98. That's not a normal grand for me even after studying so the next time I take it I'll do some studying beforehand and maybe get a hundred. I'm joking by the way. About six to nine months ago I decided to watch another video about checking to see if I was autistic. I started out thinking no way but got twenty two out of twenty five and had a great shock. I had a learning disability as a kid but when I ask what's wrong they told me they didn't know. At fifty six years old I got a clue. Thanks to you I took the Aspie quiz which finally confirmed what I was thinking after 30 or so videos. It been a very hard life with the last fifteen dealing with homelessness. Thanks to you and your videos I have answers and can move on to finding a therapist. Thanks

[ecpetty]

I know I'm watching this and commenting a couple years after its original release, but I want to echo the importance of writing your own narrative about how your autism has manifested throughout your life, in YOUR words. When I was getting my ADHD diagnosis, I made a whole bunch of voice memos as memories flooded back to me and I started getting new insights into my behaviors just by thinking about it through the day. I transcribed all the voice memos (wasn't tedious for me since I'm a transcriptionist by trade) into a 12-page document. In addition, I created an Excel matrix that I broke out by category (impulsivity, executive dysfunction, fidgeting, etc.), and noted how it manifests in me now, how it did in the past, when I first noticed it and how it has impacted my life over time. I think so much of assessing involves identifying traits, but this narrative gets to the heart of the other part of the DSM we sometimes don't talk about: that these traits must be impairing/affect quality of life significantly.

Soon after my ADHD diagnosis I got the feeling that wasn't the whole story, so now I'm doing the process again in a similar way for when I go for an autism diagnosis.

[KendraKingery]

I came to the realization that i am most likely autistic 2 years ago when i was 22 years old. I am finally on the path to official diagnosis as i was just in contact with a phycologist today and submitted my patient forms! I live in Tennessee and it’s been hard finding a phycologist who assesses adults who suspect they are autistic. When i realized i was probably autistic, i went into hyperfixation mode and had to know EVERYTHING, per usual. It so eloquently explained my life in a way i never thought was possible. I always knew my brain was different somehow, but never quite found the right explanation. Because i did well in school and masked well enough, i passed as NT for the majority of my life. After my realization, i gave myself permission to unmask a little and make accommodations for myself. It has been a wonderful journey to getting to know who i truly am. I’m extremely nervous for the assessment, even though it is virtual because I’m afraid the phycologist won’t believe me. I’ve accumulated a list of reasons i fit the DSM-5 in my head and I’ve begun to write them down. I just hope they don’t have outdated beliefs on AFAB individuals who have been undiagnosed for the majority of their lives.

[CinkSVideo]

Made the decision today to move forward with the testing and diagnosis process. Without it I’m going to perseverate, and I need to move towards a better way of functioning.

[joshswenson]

I have always felt sub-human. Really happy to hear about your experience, and I'm hoping to find a diagnosis soon.

[markjeans]

I know this is an older video but I’m in the process of getting tested. I’ve always known I process things differently than others but the older I get the more self aware I’ve become of my triggers and habits. Thank you for your channel.

[megzin]

I've been taking notes on myself for 3 years about how I relate to those who are diagnosed Autistic and FINALLY tomorrow my evaluation begins (and I have shared the 9 page notes with the Psychologist). What good timing that this specific video showed up on my feed. Thank you for the info <3