Online autism assessments

I am a Canadian psychotherapist, with a special interest in autism both on a professional and personal level, as I am autistic myself. You can find more information about me and my credentials here:

About me: Natalie Engelbrecht

And as it happens, I do both comprehensive in-person and online assessments for people who suspect they may be autistic. I also assess for ADHD, alexithymia, and Ehlers–Danlos syndromes in the autism assessment, since these conditions often co-occur with autism.

Assessments with consideration

Not every diagnostician is equally considerate of the experience of autistic people. But being autistic myself, I understand the challenges autistic people face when seeking a diagnosis. Here are a few things I consider:

1. Not every autistic person feels comfortable going to an office, so an online assessment may be better suited for them.
2. The way that I break up the assessment I think diminishes the overwhelm you might usually experience enduring the assessment process.
3. Many autistics communicate better in written form, so I include that in the first part of the assessment.

Assessments

As research shows we (autistic people) tend to have an intolerance of uncertainty, which is linked to anxiety and depression,^[1]Relationships between autism spectrum disorder and intolerance of uncertainty^[2]Brief Report: Inter-Relationship between Emotion Regulation, Intolerance of Uncertainty, Anxiety, and Depression in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder I think it’s important to let you know exactly what you can expect, so you don’t get (as) anxious when you step into the assessment process with me.

I offer autism assessments in two parts, starting with a screening assessment, which may be followed by a diagnosis.

Part 1: Screening assessment (CA$580)

1. 12 questions to answer about your experience and history.
2. 6 psychometrics: AQ, RAADS–R, CAT-Q, VIA, RBQ-2A, and the Aspie Quiz.
3. A review of the submitted information.
4. A report based on answers and psychometric scores.
5. A recommendation on whether it makes sense to proceed with part 2.

Part 2: Diagnostic assessment (CA$1,250)

1. An additional 6 psychometrics: ASRS-v1.1, EQ, SQ–R, ESQ, TEQ, and the TAS-20.
2. A 30–40 minutes interview via teleconference, based on the ADOS-2 (module 4).
3. A review of the submitted information by myself as well as a medical doctor.
4. A report based on your answers, psychometric scores, and the interview.

Note: if you want your assessment covered by health insurance, do check with your provider whether you can get an autism diagnosis by a Canadian naturopathic doctor and registered psychotherapist covered.

Medical doctor review of diagnostic assessment (CA$400)

Step three is optional, for those who require extra clinical validation of their diagnostic report. It involves an assessment by a medical doctor, who will review your diagnostic test results and the information gathered in the screening and diagnostic assessments, and will conduct an independent assessment to determine if the criteria are met to warrant an autism diagnosis under the DSM-5—or with respect to any other condition.

Online questionnaires

Online questionnaires like the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) can provide a starting place to consider whether you might be autistic. You can find more information and a link to the test in the post below.

Autism Spectrum Quotient

Alternatively, below you can find links to various other psychometric tests (and Eva’s and my test results), which can be used as screening tools. Do note that these tests are not intended to be used as diagnostic tools. However, they can indicate whether it’s likely that you are somewhere on the spectrum.

AQ-10, AQ, Aspie Quiz, RAADS–R, EQ, SQ–R, EQSQ

If you score below the threshold and you still think you may be autistic, do follow your intuition, and consider a formal assessment.

I recommend following your intuition on this for the following reasons:

1. A certain percentage of autistic adults scored below the threshold of 26, despite having or qualifying for a diagnosis. So scoring below 26 does not necessarily rule out autism.
2. Self-reported measures of autism are quite reliable (around 70–86% according to one study^[3]Autism Spectrum Disorders and Self-reports: Testing Validity and Reliability Using the NEO-PI-R), and so self-assessments are taken seriously.
3. We found that the wording of the questions on psychometric tests is often ambiguous and subject to misinterpretation by autistic people. Arguably they are written for autistic people, so if you get a low score on any of these tests, ironically it could mean that you interpreted the test in an autistic way, and thus a low score could hint at autism, rather than exclude it.
4. Even if it turns out you are not autistic, the diagnostic process may be very helpful. Not only because autism can be ruled out, but you may have a condition related to autism, a condition with symptomatology that resembles or could be confused with autism (i.e. BPD), or a condition that often co-occurs with autism (i.e. ADHD and alexithymia).

Getting the right diagnosis—whether it’s autism or something else—is often crucial to understanding yourself and how you relate to the world, or to seeking out more focused help if needed.

Support groups

Another way people can gain information about whether they might be on the spectrum is via joining Facebook groups, where you can speak to other autistic people who can offer their experiences with autism, or with getting an autism diagnosis specifically. One Facebook group we recommend joining is our very own, the Embrace Autism Community. We focus on keeping the group safe and civil, and vet anyone who would like to join. Various people have indicated how much our group has helped them, so it might just offer the same to you.

NB: Research from 2018 by Deborah M. Ward et al. indicates that Facebook—unlike Twitter—can be highly conducive to the well-being of autistic people on account of the support groups.^[4]Social Media Use and Happiness in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Quite a few members of our group—including ourselves—have indicated they use Facebook exclusively to interact in our group.

When you are ready to pursue an autism assessment,
please contact me via the assessments page.