Psychologist refers me a $2000 assessment.

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Talked to the psychologist and thinks I have ASD and refered me to get a diagnose's by a ASD specialist.
Problem is I can't afford spending $2000 what should I do?

Find a cheaper/free one. Or borrow money.

This is stupid. You need to get diagnosed because you have trouble earning money and don't have anyone to borrow it from due to your ASD but you need money in order to get the diagnosis. It's a vicious cycle.

What exactly this person doing for $2K?

My husband psychologist administered all the gold standard test (3 hours for two sittings), did an in-depth interview, by typed up a final 8 page report. He also had to number crunch the data from the test. This guy is the gold standard ASD testing person for our area, and we needed that due to some legal problems (which never materialized)

I number crunched the guy probably put in a minimum of 10 hours. That puts his time at $200/hrs. That is comparable to what run of mill shrinks charge for 45 minute sessions here.

IF this person is doing ALL of the above and may be more, that is the going price range for my state. There are people who charge higher!

IF this person is just talking and cranks out a report, no way would I spend the money on that.

You can find out IF this person uses a sliding scale for patients, or find out if cash drops the price lower. I mean you show up with $100 in a bundle.

Ours didn't drop the price for cash only, but it moved up the evaluation from 6 months out to the next week.

People say some universities will offer cheaper testing. I tried that, but there are none that test adults by me.

My husband needed the testing due to brewing legal issues. Is your testing for legal accommodations or I just really need to know. We were going to put the whole mess on a credit card.

What was $$$$ expensive was the neuropsych testing. Does anyone know why that is so pricey? Didn't think to ask.

Find a cheaper less thorough assessment for around $600 to get a diagnosis then use the results of that test to join an autism research study in your area's universities/hospitals etc. Participating in research studies often allows you to get the gold level care/assessment for free. That is what I did. I paid $600 out of pocket for my first assessment then participated in an autism research study at my local psych hospital and recieved a $3500+ assessment for free!

I used psychologytoday's website directory of psychologists and just called one after another to ask if they specialized in assessing adults on the autism spectrum or if they knew anyone who did, and inquired about the price.

Shop around. In addition to what Noca wrote, Psychology Today magazine lists various psychologists and psychiatrists on its web site ( https://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms ) based on their locations in the United States and Canada. You can change the search parameters to fit your needs. After reviewing the clinicians near to you, make a list of the top-ten choices. Call them and ask for their diagnostic fees for autism. Ask also about which diagnostic test(s) they use. ADOS-2 and DISCO are among the best out there (these tests are part of the reason for the pricing). After you have surveyed your local clinicians, call your local universities and ask to speak with their autism clinics. Ask the clinics the same questions about pricing and tests.

At this point, you should know the prices and the tests used. Re-order your list based on affordability and reliability, and make your top-three choices. Call these three again and ask about scheduling possible dates for your assessment. Some clinics have open dates fairly soon, while other have dates months away. It is your choice.

It isn't unusual to delay an assessment for a few months if you would get the price and tests you want. I delayed my ADOS-2 assessment for four months while I saved for the fee ($1,000), but it was well worth it.

Two thousand dollars seems a little pricey in my opinion. But, if the clinician wants to add an intelligence test, for example, that might mean more accurate diagnoses. So, ask a lot of questions before making your choice.

Hide-and-seek for Aspies to not use LOL!

That sounds like the building inspector who sends you to an engineer for approval of standard garage plans, because the local engineer is his brother-in-law. Why do you need an assessment at all? I'm doing fine without a piece of paper, and I managed to recognize my symptoms faster than any of the professionals had. Now, I just tell medical people what I have, and if they ask how I know, I rattle off some evidence. I might borrow money to save my life, but have felt ripped off by most expensive professionals. Debt is a nasty hole to be in. If you need that paper to get benefits, and it is a sure enough bet that it is actually a sound investment, there's some sense to it, but the $2k guy is just creaming off a greedy share for himself.