Autism Assessments
An autism assessment can help adults better understand longstanding patterns involving social communication, relationships, sensory experiences, routines, focused interests, emotional regulation, or the ways they experience and interact with the world around them.
At the Centre for Psychodynamic Insights, we provide comprehensive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments for adults seeking diagnostic clarification and a deeper understanding of their developmental and psychological functioning.
Autism assessments are available virtually to patients located anywhere in Ontario. No referral is required.
Patients who are interested in beginning psychodynamic psychotherapy may book a consultation with one of our clinicians. Psychodynamic psychotherapy is available to patients across Canada.
Autism Assessments for Adults in Ontario
What Is an Autism Assessment?
An autism assessment is a comprehensive psychological assessment designed to determine whether a person's developmental history, current experiences, and patterns of functioning are consistent with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Autism can present very differently across individuals. Some adults may experience noticeable social or communication difficulties, while others may have learned ways of adapting, masking, or compensating that make their experiences less apparent to others.
Adults may seek an assessment because of longstanding difficulties understanding social expectations, feeling different from others, maintaining relationships, adjusting to change, managing sensory experiences, navigating social environments, or understanding particular patterns in their lives.
For some people, the possibility of autism is raised earlier in life. For others, it may not be considered until adulthood.
A comprehensive assessment considers these experiences within the context of the person's development, relationships, education, work, mental health, personality, strengths, and broader life history.
Autism Assessment Options
Comprehensive Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Assessment | 14 hours | $4,900
The assessment involves a comprehensive evaluation of developmental history, social communication, behavioural patterns, psychological functioning, adaptive functioning, and other clinically relevant factors.
For adults who are also wondering about ADHD, we offer an Adult ADHD/ASD Combo Assessment.
Adult ADHD/ASD Combo Assessment | 16 hours | $5,600
Hours and fees include assessment, scoring, clinical interpretation, report writing, documentation, and feedback.
Our Assessment Psychologist
Britta Boekamp, C.Psych.
Clinical Psychologist (Ontario)
Why Might an Adult Seek an Autism Assessment?
Adults pursue autism assessments for many different reasons.
Some people have spent much of their lives feeling socially different or finding interpersonal situations difficult to navigate. Others may experience significant sensory sensitivities, strong preferences for routine or predictability, highly focused interests, social exhaustion, difficulty adapting to unexpected change, or a sense that they have had to consciously learn social behaviours that seem intuitive to others.
Some adults begin wondering about autism after a family member receives a diagnosis, after learning more about autism, or after previous diagnoses have not fully explained their experiences.
Others may have become skilled at masking or compensating for difficulties, meaning that their internal experience may be substantially different from how they appear to others.
An assessment provides an opportunity to explore these experiences carefully and in the context of the person's entire developmental and psychological history.
What Can I Expect During an Autism Assessment?
The autism assessment process begins with a detailed clinical and developmental interview.
The clinician may ask about early childhood development, social experiences, friendships, family relationships, communication, sensory experiences, interests, routines, education, employment, emotional wellbeing, mental health, and previous treatment or assessment experiences.
Standardized psychological measures and autism-specific assessment tools may also be used.
When appropriate and available, additional information may be gathered from parents, caregivers, partners, previous records, school documents, or other people who can provide information about earlier development or current functioning.
Not every adult has access to childhood records or family members who can participate. The clinician considers the information that is reasonably available and determines how best to structure the assessment.
Autism and Other Mental Health Concerns
Some experiences associated with autism can overlap with ADHD, social anxiety, trauma, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, personality characteristics, depression, sensory processing differences, or other developmental and psychological concerns.
It is also possible for autism to occur alongside one or more of these conditions.
For this reason, an autism assessment does not simply look for isolated autistic traits. The clinician considers the person's overall psychological and developmental functioning and evaluates alternative or co-occurring explanations where appropriate.
A diagnosis is not guaranteed. The goal is to arrive at the most clinically appropriate understanding based on the available information.
ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis
If the assessment findings support a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, the written report may describe the diagnosis, relevant assessment findings, strengths, areas of difficulty, and recommendations.
Recommendations may include psychotherapy, workplace or educational accommodations, communication strategies, sensory supports, additional healthcare services, community resources, or other individualized supports.
If autism is not identified, the assessment can still provide useful information about the person's psychological functioning and possible explanations for the experiences that led them to seek assessment.
The purpose of assessment is not simply to determine whether someone meets diagnostic criteria. It is also to help the person develop a clearer and more clinically meaningful understanding of themselves.
Autism Assessment and Psychotherapy
For some adults, receiving greater clarity about autism can also influence psychotherapy.
Assessment findings may provide context for longstanding interpersonal patterns, emotional experiences, sensory sensitivities, identity questions, difficulties with change, or experiences of being misunderstood.
At the Centre for Psychodynamic Insights, psychological concerns are considered within the broader context of the person's emotional life, relationships, development, history, and internal experience.
An autism assessment does not replace ongoing psychotherapy, but it can contribute to a more individualized understanding of the person and their treatment needs.