Getting tested for Autism? Start here first.

What should you expect when seeking an autism diagnosis? Why you might seek an autism diagnosis, tips on finding a doctor, what to expect during the autism assessment process, and long term treatment options.

Further Reading:
Lewis, L. F. (2016). Exploring the experience of self-diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in adults. Archives of psychiatric nursing, 30(5), 575-580.

Huang, Y., Arnold, S. R., Foley, K. R., & Trollor, J. N. (2020). Diagnosis of autism in adulthood: A scoping review. Autism, 24(6), 1311-1327.

Jones, S. L., Johnson, M., Alty, B., & Adamou, M. (2021). The Effectiveness of RAADS-R as a Screening Tool for Adult ASD Populations. Autism Research and Treatment, 2021.

Conner, C. M., Cramer, R. D., & McGonigle, J. J. (2019). Examining the diagnostic validity of autism measures among adults in an outpatient clinic sample. Autism in Adulthood, 1(1), 60-68.

Ethical considerations for therapies (such as ABA):

[agentbobcat]

I’m through the interviews and my first official test is tomorrow! I’m very nervous about being misdiagnosed or overlooked or being inconclusive. Thank you for your video.

[kaishawna]

So this is just from my own personal experience. As a black autistic woman, it is incredible that I was even able to receive an autism diagnosis at the age of 20. Being autistic is so individualized and some people think autism is SO bad. While it may be hard to be autistic at times, it must be taken in account the successes that come with being autistic. I feel there needs to be more autistic doctors diagnosing autism because lots of non autistic doctors seem to focus on deficits of autism. Also ABA therapy is very hated among most autistics. It's a "therapy" that seeks to change how autistics present themselves in society. Feel free to ask to chat if you want to discuss this further. Thanks and take care! I'm on Facebook and Twitter as well as Reddit. Let me know if this helps! ☺️♾️🫂

[dollychainsaw]

Thank you for this! I'm currently on my way to get an autism diagnostic test done and this helped me understand better on what I should expect. 💖

[KhanaOtter]

Thank you for being one of the few videos that wasn’t about adult parents of autistic children. I feel most of the videos on here are vent sessions for parents and it’s so amazing to find your video. Thank you so much.

[MoonWitch]

Just found out I'm getting tested in literally a week, so i hope this prepares me, even a little bit, for my appointment!

[mountaingirl]

In two weeks time I go into my initial interview and I am sooo nervous! Thank you for the tips. I have been waiting over a year since I made the appointment. I am concerned because I had previous diagnosis's that I think may actually stem from autism behaviors/symptoms. I fear the doctors back in the 1990's when I got these diagnosis in eating disorder hospitals didn't even bother to look at autism in young women and girls unless it was glaringly obvious. I am fearful that I am going to be dismissed and be talked down to because they can't weed out my anxiety disorders, PTSD, dissociative disorder, OCD, eating disorders, and depression. I feel like the doctors back then may have misdiagnosed me with some of those due to my displaying autism-like symptoms that may have seemed to be other things. I know I have anxiety disorders, especially social anxiety, and I believe I have some PTSD due to being bullied severely in school and other trauma in my life. I believe my OCD traits may be due to autistic-like behavior obsessiveness and rituals. My eating disorders stem from early childhood of hating smells and textures of many foods and then later in pre-teen years morphed into an obsession to being thin and having an eating disorder that has lasted my entire life (I still have smell and texture issues to this day). Finally, I believe my depression is due to being ostracized and dismissed my whole life and being unable to hold down jobs due to social anxieties and sensory issues. I also haven't been able to maintain many friendships due to communication and social issues. I haven't been able to have romantic relationships because I hate being touched in every way and I cannot stand certain smells that people may naturally have. I hope the initial assessor doesn't dismiss me due to these complicated issues because they may not be able to weed them out and because of my age and being a woman. I laughed when you talked about why this is so important to me at 1:40-1:58 in the video~it is so very true! I have been afraid that because I am a middle aged woman, they will think the diagnostic process isn't necessary and I will be wasting their time. That would really crush me and I will be devastated if that happens. I understand a better life may not be possible for me, but being able to figure out why I am like the way I am would do wonders for my self esteem that most people would not be able to comprehend. Dang, I feel even worse now after writing all of this down here. Lol! Anyway thanks for reading this long comment and for posting your video.

[EpicBananaGlasses]

I'm a mid teen "girl" (not a girl but medically I'll be percived at one) and bro I am terrified. Most of my symptoms I know went under the radar from my mom but I remeber from down to kindergarten and im just scared so this helped a bit. Thank you

[veralefu]

I was tested when I was little but before the definition changed
I’m getting tested again soon

[jbullets]

Finally found the video I was looking for. Thank u for this

[myimperfectlife]

I'm not formally diagnosed but I'm 100% certain I am. I'm in my 40s & it was thought that ASD was just a boy thing when I was young. I'd like to be formally diagnosed but I'm overwhelmed & I mask very well, for short periods of time. Its a process

[samamsterdam]

I've had an ADHD diagnosis for years but I'm still within the first 2 months of an official Autism and OCD diagnosis.

[Slofful]

If you are pursuing an autism diagnosis as an adult like I currently am, it might be extremely beneficial to call your insurance company and ask them if they have a search service available. Some insurances offer a service where you specify the kind of care you need and they will find one that takes your insurance. I could not find a psychologist that was willing to both give me a screening and take my insurance until I called and was matched with one via my insurance company.

[Jwalker]

As this video was made 2 years i don't know if anyone will read this but it really does apply to me. In afew months im meeting a psychiatrist to be tested for autism, and it was this psychiatrist who gave me the idea that i may e autistic. After looking into autism theres some autitic traits i definitely have so i do tend to believe im autistic. After watching though im not sure again as im clearly mentally limited and it greatly affects me and my ability to communicate. I plan on being brutally honest in my assessment. Im kind of happy that you didn't give us exact questions that we could think about before the test as my brain will go into overdrive trying to answer them before the test.

[dambigfoot]

Having dozens of different teachers and councilors in school its interesting that ASD goes undiagnosed even into adulthood. I just wonder if people from the schools know the signs but keep it hidden.

[Savvy]

This is extremely helpful, thank you! I am on the fence about getting formally diagnosed and the more videos like this I have watched laying out the process and realities related to it help a lot. Part of my hesitancy is that I already have an ADHD dx and I feel the number of people familiar with "AuDHD" is low, even amongst medical professionals (and I'm still learning how to unmask and what my needs even are besides "everything" lol). Very glad I found this channel today :)
PS I'm going to work my way through your playlist, but is there a possibility of y'all exploring ADHD + ASD/AuDHD?

[RanDom-bktt]

Thank you very much! This video was extremely helpful!

[AUDART]

Do you have a video like this about teens getting diagnosed? I’ve been extensively learning about autism for about a year and a half now and I’m going to start discussing diagnosis options with my parent and I’m wondering about autism assessments for teens.

[MxCartney_Lou]

I’m working on starting my diagnostic journey…I was born with congenital heart disease and was in special education all my life, but never diagnosed with anything else other than my heart disease which never made sense to me

[JNelson_]

your shirt and glasses are awesome, thank you for the helpful video

[davinadavina]

an autism diagnosis wont change my life. period. self diagnosis is just being aware of yourself.