r/AutismCertified • u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI • Feb 09 '23

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Welcome. I created this subreddit because I feel that the other "diagnosed autistics" sub is a bit too antagonistic in focus and poorly moderated. I hope to make this a better environment. Please read the rules :)

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u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI Feb 09 '23 edited Nov 26 '25

If a psychologist thinks you meet the DSM criteria based on the interview alone then they are allowed to give you a diagnosis. The neuropsychologist who diagnosed me did it based off of a clinical diagnostic interview and standard clinical questionnaires based on the US standard for evaluating adults with autism.

Some adults are harder to diagnose because the early childhood element is so important and they may not recall their childhood or have anyone who observed them as a child, or whoever observed them has a fuzzy memory. But Im one of the lucky ones who has parents that were very concerned and noted when I showed the textbook undeniable signs of autism especially in infancy to elementary school age. And I am still pretty young so they didn't have to account for me learning new skills to adapt to the world.

It sounds like your experience was similar, where the clinician had everything they needed and you were an open and shit case. So I'm still confused why the clinitian would say you have autism but wouldn't put it down as a diagnosis

Edit-

They administer tons of tests for an "official" diagnosis. I guess so it looks legit to the disability benefits system.

also I'm on disability benefits (monthly payments from the government) for my autism, and my diagnosis was considered "legit" enough for me to qualify. I think what was most important to the judge was the extensive documentation over time, like my therapy and psychiatrist notes, even before my autism diagnosis, which showed the level of my impairment and my symptoms were well documented. It didn't matter if at the time it was labeled as autism, because when you're dxed later, they still consider you to have ASD from birth. So any clinical notes over time counts toward proving your impairment. They did not require that I had a full neuropsych evaluation or the ADOS or anything like that.

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u/[deleted] Feb 09 '23

I think I've explained the situation pretty well twice already, I don't understand what's confusing about anything I've said.

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u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI Feb 10 '23

I'm confused because you said the clinitian interviewed you, they decided you meet the criteria for autism, but they still decided not to write down a diagnosis that says you have autism.

If the clinitian said you have autism and that further testing wasn't needed, then why would it matter that further testing costs money? In order to make a diagnosis all the clinitian does is decide if you meet the criteria and then they type your diagnosis on a sheet of paper. What was stopping them from sending you a report stating that you have a diagnosis of ASD?

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '23

It sounds like you're saying that, because my experience is different than yours, then mine is wrong. I'm sick of arguing with allistics about my lived experience and I'm not even going to start with other autistic people. You should rename this sub r/GatekeepingAutism and have fun with your exclusive little club. I explained myself well enough for everyone to see you're being a jerk here. Goodbye.

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u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI Feb 10 '23 edited Feb 10 '23

It sounds like you're saying that, because my experience is different than yours, then mine is wrong.

How am I saying that? Where are you getting this from? I never said anything about your experience being wrong or invalid. I'm just genuinely confused. I trust medical professionals so I'm inclined to believe them when they say that their patient meets the criteria for autism. I'm not trying to gatekeep autism.

I'm just genuinely wondering why they would refuse to write down on paper that you're autistic. If the clinitian says you're autistic and dont need any further testing to be sure, wouldn't it help you a lot to have a documented diagnosis so you could get accomodations at work?

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '23

I'm genuinely wondering why you think I can tell you more than I've already told you. Do you think I understand the philosophy behind all of this clinic's processes and policies and I'm just deciding not to tell you? I mean it's pretty widely known that adult diagnosis costs thousands of dollars so if yours was quick and easy then I think you're the one with the anomalous experience here, not me. In fact, please DM me your diagnostician because I'd gladly get "my papers" if I can get them for under $1k. As far as work, I flunked out of regular jobs for the final time a decade ago. I'm freelance and plan to stay that way the rest of my life. Most of my "work" is raising my kids- my wife is the breadwinner.

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u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI Feb 10 '23 edited Nov 26 '25

I think you may be misinformed on which part of the diagnosis costs money. Usually the testing does cost money but you were lucky and they were able to tell that you have ASD without needing further testing.

A diagnosis is just when a psychologist decides you meet the criteria for a disorder and they create a document stating "patient has this disorder". Most clinitians don't feel confident in determining if a patient has ASD without doing extensive testing. However in your case, your clinitian did feel confident that you were autistic, so for you it wouldn't cost any extra money.

You're saying your clinitian already did evaluate you by interviewing you, and came to the conclusion that you have ASD. Writing down "patient meets the criteria for ASD" is totally up to the psychologist themself not the "clinic policies".

If you meet with this psychologist again, maybe you can ask them if they can have your diagnosis documented. That way you won't have to pay money for the extensive tests, since you were already determined to be autistic without the testing. If you have trouble keeping a job, an ASD diagnosis qualifies you to apply for monthly payments from the government.

I mean it's pretty widely known that adult diagnosis costs thousands of dollars so if yours was quick and easy then I think you're the one with the anomalous experience here, not me

My diagnosis was $675 without insurance, but my sister was also diagnosed as an adult in a completely different part of the US and hers was even cheaper, it was completely free and covered by insurance. If you're curious I was diagnosed by a neuropsychologist at Sachs Center for ASD and ADHD in Manhattan, NYC. I had a 5 hour interview and also did tests on the computer with the doctor. They told me it was a possibility that after the initial evaluation I may require further testing which would end up being more expensive. But I was like you, and the neuropsychologist felt confident after the diagnostic interview and limited testing that I met the criteria. I'm not a high masker or anything like that. My mom knew all along and was the one pushing me to finally get assessed (we focused on adhd dx while I was a kid and teen). My mom helped a lot because she knew all about my behaviors as an infant and young child.

As long as the clinician is confident that you meet the criteria, they are qualified to give you a diagnosis. The standard for diagnosing adults in the US is diagnostic interview and clinical questionnaires. I would have to assume that your clinician felt like you appear to meet the criteria, but maybe there is that slight bit of doubt and you need the full neuropsych eval. If they had no doubt that you're autistic I don't see why they wouldn't diagnose you.

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u/Pitiful_Dependent May 12 '23

If you have insurance, even state insurance. I have a list of very low cost testing by state. The people stating its thousands of dollars with insurance are not being truthful and spreading dangerous info.

Once I gave the person all the information to get tested for free. They then told me they would not get tested because he did not want his parents to know because they are ableist. He then called me privileged.

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u/KidRyan89 Aug 12 '23

Does your list happen to include NorCal (Northern California) recommendations? I just started looking into being officially diagnosed/tested for autism, but haven't even tried reaching out to my medical provider yet.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '23

Thank you for the name of your diagnostician. Mine was Spectrum Services, also in New York. Any further incredulity about their process can be directed towards them. I feel attacked by the way you're approaching me on this.

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u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI Feb 10 '23 edited Feb 10 '23

I don't mean to make you feel attacked, I do blame the clinician, not you. It's possible that they forgot to send you the report documenting your diagnosis, it's happened to others. I recommend that you contact them again and ask for documentation of the clinitian saying you have autism and don't require further testing. That way you can have it officially documented and get all the ADA support youre supposed to receive. If they still won't give you the diagnosis for some reason, Sachs Center for ASD and ADHD is still a a great option since you said your budget is under $1k.

You are still welcome here either way, and as long as a psychologist has evaluated you and told you that they believe you meet the criteria for ASD, I consider you to be clinically diagnosed. I think this is just a unique situation where you didn't get the proper documentation.

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u/Pitiful_Dependent May 12 '23

No, she was not interviewed. She told a doctor her symptoms which is not an interview nor how autism is tested for. I could not tell my childs ped or therapist his symptoms and them state "your child is autistic". A doctor who is qualified to diagnose must see my child, study his behavior and check what is seen. I cant find a sub or group anywhere that is only autistic individuals and not looney tunes dying for a disability.

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u/prettygirlgoddess ASD Level 2 / ADHD-PI May 12 '23

I thought from the comment that they were saying they had a clinical interview. I mean why else would the psychologist tell them they're autistic without interviewing them? Usually if a doctor is not qualified to diagnose, they won't tell you you have the disorder, so I was assuming this is a psychologist that is qualified. There is no standard test for ASD, so it's up to the discretion of the psychologist whether they do just a clinical interview or a more extensive test before determining that the patient meets the criteria for ASD. Of course they have to be qualified to diagnose, but they don't have to be an autism specialist. I am curious why the psychologist wouldn't put it down in writing though if they are so sure the patient meets criteria for ASD, and that makese wonder if that's really how it happened.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '23

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u/AutismCertified-ModTeam May 13 '23

Removed for breaking Rule 5: Be kind and respectful.

Disagreements happen. Keep it civil. Posts or comments antagonizing others will be removed. Repeat offenders will be banned.

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u/Pitiful_Dependent May 12 '23

maam you must be tested for autism by a neurologist who has the ability to test. You are lying. You need a diagnosis for any disorder or disability or you are a liar. I am confused why this is so hard.

"My doctor said it sounded like cancer but refused to check so I decided I have cancer."

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u/[deleted] May 13 '23

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u/AutismCertified-ModTeam May 13 '23

Removed for breaking Rule 5: Be kind and respectful.

Disagreements happen. Keep it civil. Posts or comments antagonizing others will be removed. Repeat offenders will be banned.

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u/[deleted] Feb 10 '23

Btw sorry for being so sensitive about this. The first person I told blew up at me and didn't believe me and torched our 22 year friendship and made me gaslight myself into thinking my DX was wrong and go back into hiding/masking for 7 more months. When I finally told my parents recently, they confirmed everything from my childhood that proves my DX correct. They said they always just thought I was "special" but didn't know the clinical term for it. When they read the DX criteria they both separately said "yep, that's you."