Seeking a Diagnosis Based on Your Goals

For individuals seeking an assessment and diagnosis, contact a neurologist, psychologist or psychiatrist. You may need a referral to see a neurologist depending on your health insurance. You may or may not need a referral to see a psychologist or psychiatrist as this is part of a different category of care called “behavioral health.”

It’s important to understand what is covered by your health insurance and whether a doctor is in network or out of network which affects what you pay. Private pay may also be an option but can be costly.

Trust your instincts. If you are not satisfied with your doctor’s assessment you have the right to get a second opinion from another medical specialist.

The Milestones free autism Helpdesk can provide more information about the type of professional to consult depending on what your goal of diagnosis is, ie for self knowledge vs to access services or benefits or to get accommodations at work.

If you’re not pursuing getting benefits or accommodations you may want to think about getting an informal diagnosis rather than a full assessment. A full assessment may be expensive and challenging as the doctor may ask for your school records, to talk to the people who raised you, etc. to get as full a history of you as possible. An informal diagnosis may give you enough information about what kinds of therapy and other services that will help you.

Services and Benefits to Help You

A diagnosis may provide you with suggestions and guidance for what services would benefit you and that you qualify for. Adult services can be costly and may not be covered by insurance. Core services that may be available include social skills, social groups, support groups, therapy and executive functioning support. For more information about executive functioning, visit this article in the Milestones Autism Planning (MAP) Tool.

You should have access to a counselor or psychologist to help you talk about and process the diagnosis.