Autism Evaluations

Neurodivergent-affirming autism assessment for adults, women, and high-masking individuals

Available via online assessment in 40+ PSYPACT States

Maybe you've always felt a little different but couldn't quite explain why. Perhaps you've spent years studying other people, rehearsing conversations, pushing through sensory discomfort, adapting yourself to different environments, or learning the "right" way to respond, even when none of it came naturally.

From the outside, you may appear capable, social, successful, and put together; but maintaining that version of yourself may require far more effort than anyone realizes.

I provide comprehensive online autism evaluations for adults, with particular attention to women and high-masking individuals whose autistic traits may have been overlooked or misunderstood earlier in life. An evaluation isn't about fitting you into a stereotype. It's about understanding how you experience the world.

What Is Autism?

Autism is a form of neurodivergence that can shape how a person experiences and interacts with the world, including communication, relationships, sensory processing, routines, interests, and patterns of thinking. There isn't one way to "look autistic."

Some autistic people have obvious support needs. Others develop sophisticated ways of adapting to environments that weren't designed around how their brains naturally work.

Autism can come with challenges, particularly when there is a mismatch between a person's needs and their environment. It can also be associated with strengths such as deep focus, creativity, pattern recognition, strong interests, authenticity, attention to detail, and a rich internal world.

Understanding autism means looking beyond a list of behaviors to understand your individual patterns, experiences, needs, and strengths.

Autism Can Be Easy to Miss, Especially in Women and High-Masking Adults

For decades, our understanding of autism was heavily influenced by how it presented in a relatively narrow group of people.

That means many adults, particularly women and people who learned to mask effectively, made it well into adulthood without anyone recognizing what was happening underneath.

You may have learned to:

Observe and imitate how other people interact
Rehearse conversations before they happen
Develop scripts for common social situations
Make eye contact because you learned it was expected
Suppress movements or behaviors that help you regulate
Push through sensory discomfort without showing it
Research social rules that other people seem to understand intuitively
Become highly attuned to other people's reactions
Structure your life carefully to prevent overwhelm
Hide confusion, distress, or exhaustion until you're somewhere safe
Develop perfectionism or people-pleasing as ways of avoiding mistakes
Recover privately after appearing completely fine in public

Eventually, masking can become so automatic that you may not even recognize how much you're doing it. And being able to perform a behavior doesn't necessarily mean that behavior is effortless or intuitive.

That's why my evaluations look at more than what you appear able to do. I want to understand what is happening internally, and what it costs you to navigate the world the way you do.

Why My Adult Autism Evaluations Are Different

Masking and compensation are part of the assessment, not an afterthought

Traditional descriptions of autism don't always capture the experiences of adults who have spent decades adapting.

Someone may appear socially skilled while consciously analyzing every interaction.
Someone may tolerate a busy environment while becoming completely depleted afterward.
Someone may have relationships, a career, and a family while relying on extensive routines and recovery time to maintain them.

If we only look at observable behavior, we can miss important information.

My approach intentionally explores masking, compensation, adaptation, and the difference between your outward presentation and your internal experience.

I don't rely on one questionnaire to tell your story

Autism is complex, and no single score can capture an entire person.

My evaluations integrate multiple sources of information to develop a fuller picture of your experiences across your lifetime.

Our aassessment includes a review of multiple areas, including:

An in-depth clinical interview
Developmental and childhood history
Exploration of social and communication patterns
Sensory experiences and regulation needs
Routines, interests, flexibility, and patterns of thinking
Evidence-based autism assessment measures
Assessment of masking and compensatory strategies
Mental health and emotional functioning
Current functioning across relationships, work, home, and daily life
Collateral information or historical records when appropriate and available

Rather than asking whether you match a stereotypical picture of autism, I integrate these different pieces to understand the pattern they create together. This is especially important for high-masking adults, whose observable behavior or performance on any one measure may not reflect the complexity of their lived experience.

Looking at the Whole Person

It's important to note that autism doesn't exist in a vacuum. Anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma, chronic stress, burnout, OCD, and other experiences can overlap with autistic traits, coexist with autism, or sometimes offer a different explanation for what someone is experiencing.

That's why my evaluations include consideration of your broader mental health and developmental history, rather than looking only for evidence that confirms autism.

Sometimes the answer is autism, sometimes another explanation fits better, and sometimes several things are true at once.

My job is to carefully integrate the available information and help you understand what explanation best fits your experience. The goal is clarity.

An Assessment Process Designed to Be Therapeutic

I use a therapeutic assessment framework, which means I view evaluation as more than collecting data and delivering a diagnosis. The process itself is intended to be collaborative, informative, and supportive.

Many people arrive at an adult autism evaluation after years of wondering why certain things have felt harder for them than they seem to be for everyone else. You may have spent years being misunderstood.

I want the assessment process to provide room for curiosity rather than judgment.

Clients have described the process itself as helpful, informative, supportive, and safe.

Throughout the evaluation, we'll work toward understanding your patterns and experiences, not simply determining whether you've accumulated enough symptoms to meet diagnostic criteria.

Because ultimately, the most valuable outcome isn't just knowing whether you're autistic- it's understanding yourself better.

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Who Might Benefit From an Adult Autism Evaluation?

This particular approach may be worth considering if you:

Have wondered whether you might be autistic but don't fit common stereotypes
Are a woman whose experiences weren't recognized earlier in life
Have learned to mask or carefully manage how you present around other people
Feel as though social interaction requires conscious effort or analysis
Regularly replay conversations or worry about whether you interacted "correctly"
Experience sensory sensitivities or become overwhelmed by certain environments
Have a strong need for predictability, routine, or preparation
Experience deep or highly focused interests
Need significant recovery time after socializing, working, or being overstimulated
Seem highly capable but privately experience significant overwhelm or exhaustion
Have experienced repeated periods of burnout
Have been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma-related concerns, or other conditions but still feel that something is missing
Have recently recognized yourself in descriptions of high-masking or late-identified autism
Want a nuanced evaluation rather than a quick screening or checklist

You don't need to relate to every experience on this list. Autistic people are individuals, and autism can look very different from one person to another.

What Your Autism Evaluation Includes

Multiple Data Points

I use evidence-based measures as part of the evaluation, but no single instrument determines the outcome. I'll integrate information across interviews, assessment measures, developmental history, current functioning, masking and compensation, and collateral information when appropriate. I'll provide you with measures to complete before we meet for our evaluation, so that this information can help to inform my questions.

Comprehensive Clinical Interview (2-3 hours)

We'll explore your current experiences as well as the patterns that have existed throughout your life.

We'll talk about development, relationships, communication, sensory experiences, routines, interests, mental health, work or school, and the strategies you've developed to navigate different environments.

Thoughtful Differential Diagnosis

After we meet, I will review all the information and I'll consider other explanations and co-occurring concerns, including ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, OCD, and other relevant mental health or developmental factors. The goal is to understand the whole clinical picture, not evaluate autism in isolation.

Comprehensive Written Report

You'll receive a detailed, individualized report that explains what I found and how I arrived at my conclusions.

When a diagnosis is appropriate, your report will include the diagnosis and the evidence supporting it. But your report is designed to offer much more than a diagnostic label.

It includes:

A clear explanation of evaluation findings
Diagnostic conclusions and clinical reasoning
An individualized description of your patterns, strengths, and challenges
Personalized recommendations
Treatment and support considerations
Academic, workplace, or testing accommodations when clinically appropriate
Additional resources or referrals when helpful

My goal is to create a report that you can actually understand and use, one that helps you make sense of yourself and communicate your needs to others when you choose to.

Dedicated Feedback Session

Your evaluation doesn't end when I finish writing the report. We'll meet for a dedicated feedback session to walk through the findings together. I'll explain what I found, how the different pieces fit together, and why I reached the conclusions I did. You'll have time to ask questions, process your reactions, and discuss what the results mean for your life.

For some people, receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood brings relief. For others, it brings grief, uncertainty, validation, anger, or several things at once. You don't have to process that by yourself while reading a report. We'll talk about it together and discuss what comes next.

What You Leave With

A good evaluation should give you more than an answer to "Am I autistic?" It should help answer questions like:

Why have certain things always felt so hard?

Why do I need things other people don't seem to need?

Why can I handle something one day and feel completely overwhelmed by it another?

What have I been doing all these years to compensate?

What would life look like if I worked with my brain instead of constantly pushing against it?

When an autism diagnosis is appropriate, you'll leave with clear documentation of that diagnosis along with individualized recommendations and accommodations when clinically indicated. If autism isn't the explanation that best fits, we'll talk about what the evaluation does suggest and what may be helpful moving forward.

Either way, the goal is the same: greater clarity, greater self-understanding, and practical information you can actually use.

Investment

Comprehensive Adult Autism Evaluation: $2,400

Your flat-rate fee includes:

The clinical evaluation appointment
Assessment measures and materials
Scoring and interpretation
Integration of multiple data sources
Comprehensive written report
Individualized recommendations and accommodations, when appropriate
Dedicated feedback session

HSA/FSA accepted. A superbill can also be provided for clients who would like to seek possible out-of-network reimbursement.

Payment is divided into two installments:

50% before your initial evaluation appointment
50% before your feedback session and release of the written report

Getting Started

I offer a brief, no-cost phone or video consultation to ensure this evaluation is a good fit before moving forward.

If this description resonates, you don’t need to have everything figured out to reach out. Curiosity is enough to begin, and we can talk through any questions or concerns on our call, so that you can make an informed decision.

Schedule a Free Consultation

Email Me with Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What if I'm not sure whether I need an autism, ADHD, or AuDHD evaluation?

You don't need to have it figured out before reaching out. ADHD and autism can overlap in meaningful ways, and for some people, traits of one can mask or compensate for traits of the other.

If you're primarily wondering about attention, executive functioning, and ADHD, you may want to learn more about my Adult ADHD Evaluations.

If you recognize yourself in both ADHD and autism, or find that neither one fully explains your experience on its own, an 'AuDHD' Evaluation may be a better fit. Part of my role is helping you determine which questions are worth exploring. You don't need to choose the "right" diagnosis before we begin. You can learn more about the differences between the evaluations here.

Can I be autistic if I make eye contact, have friends, or am successful at work?

Yes. No single behavior determines whether someone is autistic. Adults who have spent years masking or compensating may be capable of behaviors that don't fit common stereotypes of autism. The evaluation considers your broader developmental patterns, internal experience, and the amount of conscious effort or compensation involved, not simply whether you can make eye contact or maintain relationships.

What is autistic masking?

Masking generally refers to strategies an autistic person may use to hide, suppress, or compensate for autistic traits in order to meet social or environmental expectations. For some people, masking is deliberate. For others, it becomes so practiced that they don't realize they're doing it.Exploring masking and compensation is an intentional part of my evaluation process.

Can an autism evaluation really be completed online?

Yes. My adult autism evaluations are completed entirely through secure telehealth, allowing you to participate from your own space rather than traveling to an unfamiliar testing environment.

A virtual evaluation does not mean a less comprehensive one. I use clinical interviews, evidence-based assessment measures, developmental history, and multiple data points to develop a thoughtful understanding of your experiences and determine whether an autism diagnosis is appropriate.

For some autistic and high-masking adults, meeting from a familiar environment can also make the assessment process feel more comfortable and allow me to better understand you without adding the demands of navigating a new setting. Because I participate in PSYPACT, I can provide telehealth evaluations to adults located in many states across the U.S., including Arizona, Connecticut, Virgina, Maryland and Florida. Eligibility depends on where you are physically located at the time of services, which we can confirm before scheduling.

Do I need a parent or family member to participate?

Collateral information can often be helpful, but not every adult has access to a parent or another person who knew them in childhood, or feels comfortable involving them. Before beginning the evaluation, we'll discuss whether there is someone you would like to include in the process and what role, if any, their input may play. Evaluations can be completed using self-report measures, clinical interview and other clinical data points. We'll work together to determine what information is available and appropriate for your individual situation.

Is this a neuropsychological evaluation?

No. This is a comprehensive diagnostic psychological evaluation focused on understanding autism and related mental health and neurodevelopmental concerns. It includes multiple data points, evidence-based assessment measures, clinical interview, diagnostic clarification, a comprehensive written report, individualized recommendations and accommodations when appropriate, and a feedback session.

It does not include an extensive assessment of cognitive abilities across areas such as memory, intellectual functioning, or other domains typically evaluated in a full neuropsychological battery. If your needs require neuropsychological testing, I’m happy to help you determine whether a referral for that type of evaluation may be more appropriate.

What if my symptoms could be explained by trauma, ADHD, or anxiety?

That's precisely why comprehensive assessment matters. I consider other mental health and neurodevelopmental explanations as part of the evaluation rather than assuming from the beginning that autism is the answer.

Will I definitely receive an autism diagnosis?

No. The purpose of an evaluation is to determine what explanation is best supported by the information we gather- not to guarantee a particular diagnosis. Whether or not autism is ultimately diagnosed, my goal is for you to leave with a clearer understanding of yourself and meaningful recommendations for moving forward.

Will I receive a written report?

Yes. You'll receive a comprehensive written report explaining your results and diagnostic conclusions, along with individualized recommendations and accommodations when clinically appropriate. We'll also review everything together during your feedback session.

Do you accept insurance for autism evaluations?

I do not participate directly with insurance plans for Autism evaluations. Instead, I offer a flat-rate fee of $2,400, which is split into two payments- one at the start of the evaluation process and one at the completion of the assessment and feedback. While I am an out-of-network provider, I provide detailed superbills and offer access to Reimbursify to support clients who wish to seek partial reimbursement from their insurance plan. Coverage varies by plan, and I recommend contacting your insurer directly to understand your out-of-network benefits. Before scheduling, I recommend contacting your insurance provider to ask about your out-of-network benefits for psychological testing and evaluation. You may want to ask about coverage for CPT codes commonly used in my evaluations, including 90791, 96130, 96131, 96136, and 96137. This structure allows me to offer a comprehensive, high-touch evaluation that goes beyond brief screenings or checklist-based assessments, while keeping costs predictable and transparent.

What if I'm curious about a diagnosis but I'm not sure I need a formal evaluation?

An evaluation is just one way to explore questions about neurodivergence. The right service depends on what you're hoping to get from the process. If you want formal diagnostic clarification, a comprehensive written report, and recommendations or accommodations, an evaluation may be the best fit.

If your primary goal is to understand yourself more deeply, explore patterns in your life, or work through a specific concern, therapy or an intensive may be a better fit, even if questions about ADHD, autism, or neurodivergence are part of that work.

I've created a guide to help you compare the options and think about which approach best matches what you're looking for here.