Autism Testing, the process, more than a diagnosis

THE PROCESS of the evaluation is an essential aspect. From what I see on Reddit threads in autism groups, negative experiences during the assessment due to the evaluator NOT prioritizing the process. A great assessor with value you and each aspect of the test, not just the test itself and the diagnosis.

What does it look like to have a successful and meaningful PROCESS with autism testing?

1. People who come for an assessment must be INCLUDED and their perspectives of the

   world taken seriously, and these are never overshadowed by the questions of the test nor the assessors own goals with the test.

People come to assessments with a desire to share their experiences. A great assessor will not prioritize the constraints of the test over what the person being assessed came to share. This can lead to an inaccurate diagnosis and overall there is more to autism testing than a diagnosis.

2. The person being evaluated must feel heard, seen and VALIDATED.

Most people come to the test with a need to be validated for their experiences-or some kind of "being and feeling different" in the world. It is essential to give them that validation, sincerely and wholeheartedly, no matter the outcome. A good assessor will get to know the person's world, and will not simply try to fit it into the test in one way or another. The assessor must be relational, warm and pay attention to the person, not the test.

3. If the person is not autistic, the assessor has a RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE the person with useful information, not discount them.

I hear about some assessors ending the evaluation early, once the decide the person it's autistic. In some cases, ending early meant not providing a write up/report for the person. It's essential that every person getting an evaluation has the right to a report that thoroughly outlines the persons ways of processing. There may be other diagnosis possible that the report will illuminate, and their may be ways of processing that are challenging to share that may not be autism, yet are worth know more about for the person being assessed.

For more on demystifying autism, see ECOLOGIES OF AUTISM

Hope this helps, don't be afraid to interview your potential assessor, and ask questions on how they value the process and not just the diagnosis and the test. If you are an assessor, don't leave these essential aspects of the evaluation behind.

If you have any questions, please contact me for a free consult:

kristina-bravo@outlook.com

737-825-5005

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