14 Feb Diagnosis of Autism in Adults | Presented by Claire Schutte, Psy-D, BCBA-D
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There are several ways to get an autism diagnosis as an adult – everything from professional evaluations to personal questionnaires to medical recommendations. An autism diagnosis can be a life-changing event, so make sure you have the support you need and are ready for the result.
Learn from Dr. Claire Schutte as she discusses the process of diagnosing an adult with autism, as well as the benefits and challenges that such a diagnosis can bring with it.
What We Learned from this Video:
- A diagnosis can shed light on the cause of lifelong problems.
- Since autism is a developmental disorder, there has to be evidence of it when the patient was young to support an adult diagnosis.
- Many autistic people share common traits:
- Deficits in emotional and social communication and empathy.
- Repetitive behaviors and inflexible routines.
- Obsessive interests.
- Sensitivity issues.
- Adults can be hard to diagnose, as they have likely learned masking techniques to fit in better with neurotypical people.
- A diagnostic evaluation should consist of an interview, observation, testing and record review.
- There are many different evaluation methods available to help determine if an adult has autism, including some self-assessments and questionnaires.
- It is important to discuss expectations and be prepared for results you may not want to hear. Therapeutic counseling can help adjust to a diagnosis result.
If you think you might be an autistic adult, read our blog post on the benefits of diagnosis for adults for more information. You can also watch our other videos on getting an adult diagnosis.