Autism Assessment Services — Now Available!!

Diagnostic Evaluations - Questions and Common Misconceptions

• What is the difference between the diagnostic evaluations you offer and psychological testing, or a full psychological evaluation?

A psychological evaluation is typically an extensive process - it is a time and sometimes cost intensive process of assessing cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral functioning.  Psychological evaluation can encompass many types of information gathering including many types of psychological testing (sometimes called a battery of testing) and is conducted by a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. This type of assessment can be helpful for looking at a wide range of potential explanations for behavioral, social, emotional and neuro-differences, and is often valuable in evaluating developmental and neuro-cognitive differences, including evaluation for educational needs such as specific learning differences and disabilities.

My process is different in a couple of key ways:  First, I am a Licensed Independent Social Worker - or LISW - not a Licensed Clinical Psychologist.  This means there are key differences in my educational background and foundational training - though each individual in every field has areas of focus, specialization, and training that may vary from others in their field - and there are slightly different core values, or guiding principles for my profession.  Licensed Independent Social Workers do not conduct psychological testing, however, in the great state of Ohio, licensed clinical providers including LISWs are ethically and legally qualified to utilize the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) in the process of diagnosis of Autism. 

This means that while my process of assessment will include many forms of information gathering - social and developmental history, self-report inventories/questionnaires, and interview session(s) using neurodiversity affirming, evidence-based diagnostic protocol - it does not include neuropsychological testing. 

My evaluations are intentionally limited in their scope, as this is my area of specialization and expertise - Diagnostic Evaluations for Autism are for the sole purpose of evaluating and identifying/diagnosing Autism. Additionally, while I have extensive training and experience working with folks with complex trauma and mental health disorders, it is important to note that my diagnostic evaluation process does not seek to validate, nor re-evaluate any previous mental health diagnosis, as the scope of my assessment process is limited to the identification/diagnosis of Autism.

This means that I use my experience and training in assessment, trauma-informed practice, and mental health disorders to consider a wide range of explanations for sensory, social, emotional, and behavioral differences for the purpose of clarifying Autism using a neurodiversity affirming framework.  

• But without a full psychological evaluation and psychological testing, is the identification/diagnosis valid?

In short, yes!  Licensed Independent Social Workers (LISWs) with supervised training and experience in clinical evaluation and assessment are qualified and capable of identifying/diagnosing Autism in Ohio.  Commonly, LISWs specialize and focus their clinical work on providing outpatient therapy services, and do not provide evaluation or assessment outside of an on-going client-therapist relationship. My history of clinical experience, training, and practice is a little different. In addition to providing individual, group, and family psychotherapy services, I have over a decade of experience providing autism and mental health assessment services. For many of those years, I was working directly under the supervision of a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the state of Ohio, which is where I obtained the bulk of my training. More recently, I obtained specialization in the assessment of adult autism through The Properties of Light based in Virginia.

• But I’ve been told that only a psychologist can diagnose Autism?!

It is a common misconception that Autism identification/diagnosis must be made by a psychologist, and must utilize psychological testing. Licensed Independent Social Workers, and other licensed professionals with appropriate assessment training are legally and ethically able to identify/diagnose Autism in Ohio. Psychological testing as conducted by a Licensed Clinical Psychologist can be very valuable in identifying co-occurring conditions when they are suspected - there are Autistic folks of all ages who have co-occurring mental health disorders, cognitive differences, language differences and learning disabilities and knowledge is power, always!  And also, full psychological testing and discrete measurement of functioning is not always necessary or relevant for folks seeking identification/diagnosis of Autism.

Some, but not all, Autistic people do have co-occurring mental health and educational disorders - neurodivergent people often experience co-occurring challenges that may be understood as the result of numerous and interacting bio-psycho-social-spiritual factors, one of which may be the experience of being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. One of the many ways that a specialized Autism evaluation can be helpful is by providing key information and understanding about innate neuro-differences and their relationship to on-going biological, psychological, social, and/or spiritual needs to help physical and mental health service providers, educators, parents, caregivers, and partners to foster self-acceptance, authenticity, and accessible supports for neurodivergent people.

• What do you mean when you say “trauma-aware, autistic-informed assessment?”

Tranquil Mind Therapeutics LLC intentionally centers the experiences of autistic people, including in my process of assessment, and is informed by experts of experience (autistic and neurodivergent people) in addition to my educational and clinical training. This means that I may utilize different tools for assessing and evaluating Autism than other providers. There are many evidence-based measures for exploring characteristics of Autism - many of which are utilized by a wide range of professionals - but there are no specific, definitive psychological tests that are required to identify/diagnose Autism.  

Additionally, I’m of the belief that assessment should not be a process that is pathologizing, othering, or otherwise harmful to experience. Many of the screening and assessment tools that are commonly used by professionals of many disciplines are rooted in behaviorism, pathology, and deficits; and do not provide opportunities to respectfully explore and affirm the internal experiences of neurodivergent people of all genders, races and ethnicities. My process of evaluation utilizes assessment tools within my scope of practice as an LISW that are intentionally selected for their neurodiversity affirming, non-pathologizing approach to understanding, assessing, and describing Autism.     

If after facilitating the diagnostic evaluation, it is my clinical opinion that the sensory, social, emotional, behavioral, and neuro-differences described are better explained by a specific mental health disorder, I will share my recommendations for next steps for understanding and support.

If in my process of evaluation for Autism, there is information that suggests that a co-occurring disorder or disability may be present in addition to characteristics of Autism, I will share specific recommendations for further evaluation and/or testing as appropriate to identify co-occurring disorders and potential supports. Often these recommendations have included evaluations for sensory processing, motor skill development, auditory processing, speech and language disorders, learning disabilities, or mental health disorder, and include referral to a wide range of professionals including occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, educational psychologists, mental health therapists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners.

• Who is a good fit for your process of a Diagnostic Autism Evaluation?

My Diagnostic Evaluation services are a good fit for folks who are seeking a focused, intentional process of evaluation that is rooted in the neurodiversity paradigm, the social model of disability, and is informed by the lived experiences of neurodivergent people. My evaluation process is a good fit for people who are looking for a professional with an inclusive, non-pathologizing, and acceptance based understanding of Autism, with experience exploring the intersection of neurodiversity and other identities including gender, race and ethnicity.  

My evaluation process is a good fit for folks who are already well-connected to other professionals for on-going support needs, or have support needs that are accepted and generally well met within their families and community care networks, but are seeking deeper understanding of their experience.  My evaluation process is a good fit for folks who have "long  suspected"...and are seeking affirming ways of validating, describing, understanding and ultimately supporting the ways their brains and bodies work. It’s also a good fit for folks who are exploring the possibility of autism for the first time.

• Do you provide services in-person or via telehealth?

Assessment services are offered via tele-health for residents of Ohio.   

About Costs and Insurance

• Do you accept insurance?

We do not accept insurance.  Providing services via self pay allows us to utilize our equitable price model and create greater accessibility to services for folks with less discretionary wealth and/or access to financial resources. These are important values in my work, and my recommended sustainable rate is lower than general market rate as part of my personal commitment to equity, interdependence, and community wealth. Using private pay services also allows clients to have more autonomy over how, when, and with whom their information is shared, and under what circumstances.  For many people who have experienced harm from systems that were supposed to help, as well as people who are vulnerable to systematic discrimination, having this autonomy can be critical to their safety and well-being.

Diagnostic evaluation is a significant investment of your time, energy, and financial resources. We know how financially inaccessible diagnostic assessment can be, and we do our best to minimize operations costs in order to keep our rates as low as possible. Because transparency is important for accountability, here is the breakdown of the cost for diagnostic assessment:

- 3-4 hours of diagnostic interview session(s) with client and collateral interviews

- 2 hours of evaluator time in analyzing & organizing information gathered

- 2-3 hours of evaluator time writing diagnostic report & recommendations

- 1 hour session with client(s) to review evaluation outcomes and recommendations

Evaluators spend at minimum 8-10 hours completing the autism assessment, therefore our assessments are priced at an equitable rate of $1,000. Pricing for additional services can be included (assistance with reasonable accommodations, filling out school paperwork, etc).

• What is a good faith estimate?

The passage of the No Surprises Act in January 2022 affirmed that consumers deserve transparency when it comes to cost of health care items and services, and established that all clients are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate for health care items and services. A Good Faith Estimate shows the costs of items and services that are reasonably expected for your health care needs, based on the information known at the time the estimate was created. This estimate is not a contract and does not obligate you to obtain any services from the provider(s) listed, nor does it include any services rendered to you that are not identified here.

While it is not always possible for a provider to know, in advance, how many sessions may be necessary or appropriate for a given person, you will be provided with an estimate of the cost of services provided when you schedule your first appointment. Your total cost of services will depend upon the frequency of sessions, your individual circumstances, and the type and amount of services that are provided to you.

For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute resolution process, visit https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises/consumers or call 1- 800-985-3059. The initiation of the patient-provider dispute resolution process will not adversely affect the quality of the services furnished to you.