Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are often misunderstood and it is possible for autistic individuals to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for a long time, especially when the individuals are highly intelligent, highly verbal, assigned female at birth, or are adults.
Assessment for Autism is indicated when you or your child/ loved one experience:
- Unique sensory interests or difficulty with sensory stimuli (aversion to certain foods, fabrics, textures, etc.)
- Restricted interests, such as only being interested in talking about certain topics (i.e. facts, anime) or playing with certain items (i.e. legos, video games)
- Difficulty with the social give and take of conversation (i.e. lecturing versus conversing)
- Poor understanding of social relationships and how to relate appropriately to same aged peers
- Rigidity or a need to be “right,” or “in control,” of situations
- Limited or different use of eye contact, facial expressions, or gestures in communication