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Developmental history & behavioral evaluation
Many adults reach a point where lifelong experiences begin to make more sense in a new light. The social situations that always felt exhausting in a way other people didn't seem to feel, the masking you've done for so long it became automatic, sensory sensitivities you've learned to work around, the deep focus on specific interests that's been a strength and a complication, and the chronic burnout from keeping up.
At some point, you wonder: is this autism?
I provide adult autism assessments designed to give you a documented clinical perspective on that question.
I'm a licensed clinical social worker whose practice focuses on adult neurodivergence and the experiences of food and body image that often overlap with it.
The same depth that informs my work with ARFID, ADHD, and eating disorder clients (many of whom are also autistic) informs this assessment. Adults often come to me when standard providers haven't been able to give clarity on a question they've been wondering about for years.
Autism in adults often goes unrecognized, especially in people who learned early to adapt, mask, or compensate. The clinical understanding of autism has expanded significantly over the past decade, and many adults are now recognizing themselves in descriptions that didn't exist (or didn't apply to adults) when they were younger.
You might relate to experiences such as:
Feeling socially out of sync or exhausted after social interaction
Difficulty interpreting social cues or unspoken expectations
Sensory sensitivities to noise, light, textures, crowds, or smells
Strong need for routine or predictability
Deep focus on specific interests
Feeling overwhelmed by change or transitions
Long-standing feelings of being different or misunderstood
Chronic burnout from trying to keep up socially or professionally
A recent realization that a family member, partner, or child may also be autistic
Many adults spend years believing these experiences are personal flaws rather than differences in how their brain processes the world. An assessment can change that.
Why Adults Seek Autism Assessment
The question you've been carrying for years (am I autistic or just sensitive, introverted, anxious, particular) gets a clinical answer. You have a documented assessment with diagnostic impressions in writing, and the years of wondering, taking quizzes, watching first-person videos, and second-guessing yourself end here.
Your childhood stops being a collection of stories that never quite added up. The intensity of your early interests, the friendships that worked when there was structure and didn't when there wasn't, the situations you remember as hard for reasons you couldn't name, the way you played alone for hours and were happy doing it, all of it organizes into a coherent picture for the first time.
The labels you've been carrying (too sensitive, too rigid, too much, intense) get a different explanation. You stop interpreting the recovery time after social events, the need for routine, the way sensory input hits harder for you, as evidence of being difficult. The daily self-criticism about being too much or not enough starts to quiet down.
You bring the summary home and the people closest to you finally have clinical language for the way you operate. The conversations about why you need quiet after a dinner party, why a schedule change hits harder than it should, why certain environments are exhausting to be in, start from a different place. You don't have to keep explaining yourself from scratch every time the same thing comes up.
The summary becomes the document you can bring to a therapist, coach, or prescriber who works with autistic adults. The therapist who's been treating your anxiety can adjust for the underlying autism, if you choose to share. The autistic community you've been observing from the outside has language that describes you, validated by a clinician's assessment instead of a quiz.
You stop apologizing for the things you've been quietly apologizing for: leaving the party early, needing the schedule in writing, asking for the lights to be dimmer, putting on noise-canceling headphones on the loud commute. The clinical understanding gives you a framework for treating your needs as legitimate, and the accommodations you've been making for yourself in private start being things you can name out loud.
What an Autism Answer Changes
This assessment is for adults who want clinical clarity on whether autism may explain their experiences. Common reasons people seek it:
A long-standing internal question that's been growing harder to ignore
Recognizing similarities after a child, partner, or sibling was diagnosed
Researching ADHD, anxiety, or burnout and finding autism kept coming up
Wanting a documented clinical perspective they can share with a therapist or future provider
Wanting to make sense of lifelong experiences without committing to ongoing therapy first
The purpose is clarity. Knowing what's clinically present (and what isn't) makes the next steps clearer.
Who this assessment is For
The assessment focuses on developmental history, current experiences, and how autism characteristics may show up across your life. Areas typically covered:
Social communication and relationship experiences across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood
Sensory sensitivities and environmental overwhelm
Routine, structure, and change tolerance
Attention, focused interests, and how you engage with topics that matter to you
Masking, camouflaging, or social compensation strategies
Emotional regulation, meltdowns, shutdowns, and burnout
Work, academic, and relationship experiences over time
Overlap with ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating issues, or other neurodivergent and mental health experiences
The assessment uses structured clinical interview methods and validated screening tools. It is not psychological testing.
What the Assessment Looks At
What You Receive
Pre-assessment intake. Secure online forms and screening questionnaires completed before our appointments so background information is available when we meet.
Two to three online assessment sessions (typically 60-90 minutes each) over secure, HIPAA-compliant video. The multi-session structure is the clinical standard for adult autism assessment because the depth of developmental history and the range of areas to cover don't fit into a single appointment.
Written clinical summary delivered within 7 to 10 business days after the final session. Documents diagnostic impressions, clinical findings, the areas of strength and difficulty surfaced during the assessment, and personalized recommendations. Can be shared with current or future providers.
Cost
Flat fee: $900. Includes the intake questionnaires, the two to three assessment sessions, and the written clinical summary with recommendations. Payment is due at the time of scheduling.
This is a private-pay service.
This assessment does not:
Provide ongoing therapy or treatment, or establish a long-term therapy relationship
Serve as a psychological or neuropsychological evaluation, and does not include psychological testing
Provide documentation for disability determination (SSDI, SSI, private disability claims)
Provide documentation for housing accommodations
Provide documentation for workplace accommodations (ADA requests)
Provide documentation for academic accommodations
Replace comprehensive medical or multidisciplinary evaluations when those are required
If you need documentation for any of those formal purposes, a full neuropsychological evaluation is typically required. A full neuropsychological evaluation is a more extensive process involving multiple appointments and standardized cognitive testing, and I can provide referral options if needed.
What This Assessment is NOT Designed for
I'm Grace Annan, a licensed clinical social worker whose practice focuses on adult experiences that don't fit standard categories: adult ADHD and autism assessments, adult eating disorders and ARFID, body image work for women navigating body change, and the overlap between these conditions.
Adult autism assessment is a core part of my practice because autistic adults frequently arrive at assessment through years of being treated for anxiety, depression, or burnout that didn't fully account for the underlying neurodevelopmental picture.
Frequently asked questions
What happens during the assessment sessions? We talk through your life experiences across social interactions, sensory sensitivities, routines, communication, focused interests, and how you've navigated work, relationships, and daily life over time. The conversation is structured but flexible enough that your specific story shapes the questions.
Will I get a clear answer about whether autism characteristics are present? Yes. If the assessment indicates that DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder are met, the written summary documents diagnostic impressions with clinical rationale. If criteria aren't met, the summary explains what was found, what may better account for your experiences, and recommendations for next steps.
Could something else explain my experiences instead of autism? Yes, sometimes. Challenges can also relate to ADHD, anxiety, trauma, burnout, sensory processing differences, or several of these together. Part of the assessment is exploring how different factors may fit your experiences. The summary documents what fits autism, what fits other explanations, and how they may interact.
I've managed fairly well in life. Could I still be autistic? Yes. Many autistic adults develop ways to adapt, mask, or camouflage differences, often at considerable internal cost. The assessment looks at lifelong experiences, including the cost of the adaptations, not just outward markers of success.
I think I might have ADHD too. Can the assessment address both? ADHD and autism overlap significantly in adults. I conduct separate ADHD and autism assessments because each requires focused clinical attention, but if both are part of your picture, I can discuss the combined assessment pathway. Many clients who suspect one end up identifying both.
Do you accept insurance? No, this is a private-pay service. The $900 flat fee covers the full assessment process: intake, two to three sessions, and the written summary.
Will this assessment give me documentation for disability, accommodations, or services? No. The assessment is for personal clarity and clinical understanding, not for formal documentation. If you need documentation for SSDI/SSI, workplace ADA accommodations, academic accommodations, or housing services, a full neuropsychological evaluation is typically required. I can provide referral options.
Do I need a parent or family member involved? Usually not. While historical input from family can sometimes add useful detail, most adults provide enough developmental history on their own. If your situation specifically benefits from family input, we can discuss it.
Do we talk about childhood experiences? Yes. Early experiences often help clarify lifelong characteristics, even when memories are incomplete or based on what family has told you about your childhood.
Is there a single test that shows whether someone is autistic? No. Adult autism assessment relies on structured clinical interview and validated screening tools, not a single definitive test. The clinical interview is where the meaningful information surfaces.
How soon will I get the written summary? Within 7 to 10 business days after the final assessment session.
This assessment is available to adults residing in:
Florida
New York
Connecticut
Washington D.C.
All sessions are conducted over secure, HIPAA-compliant video.
States Served
Request an Assessment Appointment
Use the form to request an appointment or ask questions about the adult autism assessment. Tell me a bit about what brings you here and what you'd most like clarity on, and I'll respond with available appointment options and next steps.
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305-209-9789
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