Autism
At Aspire Wellness and Psychology we provide assessment for autism for adults. We provide a safe place to support people to explore the question “am I autistic?”
We take the time to understand your experience, knowing that sometimes autistic people have become skilled at ‘masking’ some aspects of their experience in order to be accepted. We also understand that autism can present differently based on people’s gender identity, life experiences and any trauma that people have experienced.
We aim to be neuroaffirming in our approach and offer two different types of autism assessments based on your preference. We also provide a thorough report that can be used to assist you if you are planning to apply for funded support (such as through the NDIS if you are eligible).
These assessments are completed online in the comfort of your own home by a clinical psychologist.
What to expect
Initial phone call:
We will explain the process to you, find out what assessments you are wanting and book your appointments.
Initial session (2 hours):
We start out with a conversation to understand your experiences, what has led you to query if you might be autistic and other relevant issues that might be going on for you (e.g. stressful life events, mental health issues).
We then use an autism assessment to gather more detailed information. We generally use the MIGDAS-2, a conversational interview process for gathering and organising information about your experiences to assess and diagnose autism. This is our preferred option as the MIGDAS-2 is considered neuroaffirming by the autistic community and focuses on your needs, challenges, patterns, sensitivities and strengths.
Sometimes people prefer us to use the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), which is a standardised assessment for autism involving various activities and questions. This focuses on areas of challenge or areas in which you may be having difficulty. If you have a preference for the ADOS-2, please let us know and we can accommodate this.
Questionnaires:
We ask you to complete some questionnaires online in your own time.
Family/friend contact:
It is helpful for us to speak to a family, friend or carer who might be able to provide information from a different perspective. This can be a phone call or they can attend one of the other sessions with you. This is optional and we can still proceed if you decide you don’t want us to speak to your family or friend.
Feedback session (1 hour):
We will provide you with information about the results of the assessment, any diagnoses that we have made and our recommendations for support for you in the future.
Report:
Within 4 weeks after your feedback session we will provide you with a detailed report of the assessment for your information, which can be used if you intend to apply for further support or funding (if you are eligible).
Your investment:
We require full payment at the first session. If an organisation is paying for your assessment, we require confirmation from them prior to the first session.
Standard autism assessment completed by a clinical psychologist with psychological report - $2260
Standard autism assessment completed by a clinical psychologist without psychological report - $1400
Combined autism and ADHD assessment completed by a clinical psychologist with psychological report - $2900
Combined autism and trauma/dissociative disorders assessment completed by a clinical psychologist with psychological report - $3000