Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. The base rate of autism spectrum disorder in the United States is about 1 in 36 children, or 2.8% of students. Autism is a behavioral diagnosis, which requires a certain number of symptoms impacting social communication skills and repetitive or restricted interests, and should only be made by a licensed clinician.

UNDERSTANDING

The benefits of having a neuropsychological evaluation:

All the doctors here at Kirk NBH are trained in administering and interpreting common assessment tools specific to an ASD diagnosis (e.g., ADOS-2, SRS-2, etc.)
Making an accurate diagnosis of ASD requires a clinician with specific training and years of experience working with people who have ASD
Neuropsychological testing can assist not only with determining an ASD diagnosis, but can also identify any comorbid neurodevelopmental conditions or psychiatric conditions that may look similar to ASD
An accurate diagnosis is essential for determining effective evidenced-based treatment