I offer assessments to adult women who suspect they are Autistic, in Indiana, and would like a professional opinion. I will also explore ADHD with you. These appointments are done online, from wherever you are most comfortable. I complete the MIGDAS-2 Adult with folks and I trained with the creator.
Process:
Email me so we can discuss further. Please send me a screenshot of your results from the RAADS-R, the CAT-Q and the ASRS, along with any details/notes/other tests to help me understand why you believe neurodiversity is likely.
I schedule via Telehealth, usually on Thursdays or Fridays, as my schedule permits. I do not currently have a waitlist for these and have appointments within 30-60 days of inquiry. I am located in Eastern Time Zone.
Feel free to use any fidgets, stims, comfort items, etc during your appointment.
Dress as comfortable as you wish and be in an environment that is most comfortable to you. It's ok if your pets are with you. You can walk around and move about. It's also ok to take breaks or snack.
Your remaining non-refundable balance of $500 will be charged before your appointment. If it is declined, your appointment will be cancelled and cannot be rescheduled until payment arrangements are made. I am also able to work out a payment plan but the balance must be paid in full by the time of your appointment.
We will finish up by:
Discuss all of what your questionnaires and consult indicated
Answer any questions you have
Total cost: $700 self-pay only, insurance is not accepted & no superbill will be provided
Please note, what I am offering is not psychological testing or a neuropsychological evaluation. Indiana and Texas code specifies that LCSWs may use appraisal tools in the diagnostic process and this is what is being utilized. I am offering an assessment to determine if neurodiversity is an explanation for what you have been experiencing. Autism and ADHD can be diagnosed by an LCSW, if it's within their scope of practice, training and education. I have completed many hours of continuing education on Autism and ADHD, diagnosing adults and trained with the MIGDAS-2 creator.
I am not ideal for those applying for disability, requesting accommodations, needing assistance with guardianship or are not verbally fluent. In all of those scenarios, your best bet is to pursue neuropsychological testing where they provide you a full written report. I can provide a basic letter but not a report. Some organizations are very rigid on what they will and will not accept as a "proper diagnostic process" - even though there is no agreed upon standard for diagnosing adults. While I deeply disagree with this, as I know how difficult it is to find a competent clinician, I do not want anyone to miss out on the services they deserve because of this. Please review what is needed in your particular situation before moving forward with me.
I am a later in life diagnosed neurodivergent woman and understand the challenges and relief of learning of this diagnosis. I was doing research and read Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I kept thinking, this sounds oddly familiar to my life. Even as a trained clinician, I had no understanding of Autism and had the stereotypes in my head, so I never suspected myself. I just knew I always felt different but did not know why. I was often criticized for social faux pas. There were also patterns of behavior and sensory issues that I learned others were not typically experiencing. This came as a shock to me because my own bias and lack of knowledge had lead me to believe certain things about ASD that simply were not entirely accurate.
Once I believed this was likely, per my usual, I went into overdrive to learn everything I could about women on the spectrum (hello special interest deep dives!). I watched every video, listened to every podcast, read the articles, did the online tests, read a bunch of books, completed clinical trainings and came to the conclusion this was very likely.
I then learned how hard and expensive! it was to find someone. Particularly someone competent. I read a lot of horror stories on Reddit of people who spent the $2K+ to be told "you do not have Autism because you make eye contact." When I got on the waitlist for one organization, it was over 2 years away. I also did not find it essential to do an entire battery of testing/a full neuropsychological evaluation. From my research, there is not an accepted standard for diagnosing adults, so I did not see a point. I ended up finding another woman on the spectrum, who did cost-effective and less intense consults. Through this experience, I learned there is a serious access issue for folks. I went on to do additional training and research so that I could offer assessments to people who wanted the professional opinion but did not need/want a full psych eval.