Neuro-Affirming Autism Assessments for Children, Teens and Adults
Affirming Autism Assessments
I am trained and licensed to provide varied assessment schedules of autism diagnostic tools. As a neuro-affirming provider, I make sure to create an experience and chose appropriate tools for each individual assessment that will create a validating experience, as well as represent them the best in their self discovery journey. In many cases, I will use the MIGDAS-2, the Monteiro Interview Guidelines for Diagnosing the Autism Spectrum, second edition. Not only is this an affirming process, it spends time validating the individual’s autistic trait’s rather than focusing on labeling signs of autistic distress like the medical model often does. When we move away from the medical model of deficits, this also helps us as professionals identify and assess for characteristics like masking and other traits outside of the stereotyped models that are described frequently.
A modern approach
When going through the MIGDAS-2 evaluation, you can expect to experience an ADHD evaluation (unless otherwise discussed), and other differential diagnosing as part of your assessment process. In addition to your interview style assessment, you can expect to fill out self-report scales and consent forms. It is not required to provide a childhood history recount, or records of family members account, but anything you are willing to provide is always welcome and helpful.