Remote spectrum evaluation?

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Hi, I'm new here so apologies if I'm posting in the wrong place.

I have had some in my life recently suspect that I may be on the spectrum, so I would like to receive a formal evaluation / diagnosis.

I spoke to one provider today, however their process is three appointments, one of which they require in person.

Aside from lack of eye contact I don't have any fidgeting or stimming (sp?) that I feel would contribute to an evaluation.

Is anyone aware of a provider or could tell me how common it may be to find a provider willing to do an entirely remote evaluation?

With the current pandemic going on and small children at home we have been sheltering in place and I would like to avoid any risk despite how remote one in person visit might be.

Thank you in advance.

-D

I don't think it's possible to do an accurate remote diagnosis. I've never been diagnosed but I have looked into the process and a big part of it is being observed - and not just from the waist up. Results would be extremely skewed if you were in charge of your environment - at home where you are comfortable, possibly typing responses vs speaking face to face, not having to deal with travel and people leading up to the appts that might throw you off your game. Plus you might even run the risk of being (mis)diagnosed with a mental illness, and require medication.
Even if you find someone to diagnose you remotely I would think the person was not highly qualified. If it is an emergency situation go for it. If not wait until you can meet with someone who specializes in adults.

Your stims may not be obvious to you. It could be throat clearing, holding your wrists, adjusting your clothes, holding a pen, playing with your hair, or many other subtle things.

I suggest you take the autism quiz (link below), and then watch a few YouTube videos to see if you relate to what they say. If you haven't been diagnosed by now you must be higher functioning and have Asperger's (term no longer used but it will narrow down your youtube searches). Watch videos made in the last year or two for the most accurate information. Good luck and welcome to WP.

https://psychology-tools.com/test/autism-spectrum-quotient

Welcome to WP.

I'm on another forum where I've heard people mention the availability of remote assessments, because of C19 and because many professionals are opting to work from home permanently, now that they see it is possible. People who diagnose autism also appreciate that many of us are intimidated leaving home, or doing face-to-face appointments at the best of times.

That being said I agree with I love belko that there are definite cons to being assessed from home. Everything she said is true. My ASD assessment was in 2018 and it was over 12 hours in person. I also did 20 hours of ADHD testing in person, in February of this year. So, I have a good idea of how the testing works. I'm sure an accurate diagnosis could be made via remote, assuming the person is highly qualified and accounts for the limitations of online assessment, but I'm not certain that their final report would be as thorough as one from a face-to-face encounter. If you are paying a lot (presumably), you want to have the most accurate and detailed written report possible when it's all said and done. In my opinion there's a nuance and an energy exchange when people meet in person, and this can't be felt online.

I hope I haven't dissuaded you if you do want to go online and you have an opportunity, but I wanted to share my thoughts to help in your decision.

I'll add another resource. You may want to try the RDOS test. You'll get a fun spiderweb result which measures you in many areas of development. You may have noticed many people on WP have RDOS scores in their signature, showing a number for their ND (neurodiverse) likelihood and another number for their NT (neurotypical) score. Of course the actual testing for a diagnosis is more complex, but the RDOS will probably give you a good idea whether or not to proceed.

https://rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php


This is my score, just to give you an idea of how the results will be presented.

Thanks for the replies.

Another thing that I have not yet researched is how the retest rate is for these types of tests.

For example, I am not much of a fan of the Myers-Briggs test due to the fact that taking it again after some time has past has show significant changes in the results.

I've taken the Apsie Quiz, I don't think I have permissions to post an image yet?

Here are the text results:
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 115 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 106 of 200
You seem to have both neurodiverse and neurotypical traits

Neurodiverse talent: Your group score: 10.0 of 10 (above average).
Neurotypical talent: Your group score: 5.4 of 10 (average).
Neurodiverse perception: Your group score: 5.6 of 10 (average).
Neurotypical perception: Your group score: 6.2 of 10 (average)
Neurodiverse communication: Your group score: 4.3 of 10 (average)
Neurotypical communication: Your group score: 2.8 of 10 (below average).
Neurodiverse relationships: Your group score: 3.1 of 10 (below average).
Neurotypical relationships: Your group score: 4.6 of 10 (average).
Neurodiverse social: Your group score: 6.1 of 10 (average)
Neurotypical social: Your group score: 3.5 of 10 (average).

I have also taken the test on Wired.com:

"In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger’s report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives."

My score was a 36.

https://www.aspietests.org/raads/

Here's another test you can try. It's called the RAADS-R. I'm quite sure that this was one part of my formal assessment and that the score is in my report.

RAADS-R will compare you to autistic men, men who are suspected of ASD, and non-autistic men.

The testing you would do for your assessment measures a lot of other factors such as problem solving and language skill. It doesn't just rely on the information from these types of questionnaires which, as you point out, can change slightly over time.

If you feel strongly that you want to be assessed for your personal awareness or for clinical reasons, don't worry about Myers-Briggs or other inventories having a huge role.

Oh, and PS: You don't need to fill in that big box when you log into RAADS-R.

Thanks, I didn't mention Myers-Briggs because I thought it might be considered in a spectrum assessment.

It was more wondering about the retest-ability of the spectrum assessments.

I have been in the IT industry for around 20 years now and do fairly well for myself, but I have trouble with people being ambiguous and I tend to overwhelm others with long lists of questions that make them feel like I'm interrogating them.

Although I am open to the possibility of a diagnosis that I'm on the spectrum, I have to wonder if these situations I struggle with are not entirely my fault. Is it possible I just work for disorganized people that don't know what they want and cannot communicate effectively enough so I have the details I need to do my job?

Apologies for the run on sentence.

I just completed the test, thanks for the link Isabella!
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 132 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 75 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)

Yes, it is. But that doesn't mean that you aren't (possibly) on the spectrum, as well.

My point was that a formal assessment isn't all based on personality inventories.

There are a lot of math tests, spatial tests, memory tests, language tests, etc., which are more objective and less likely to have fluctuating retestability. (Good word!) In fact, in my experience, I'd say 75% of the assessment was non-personality based.

I don't think a remote assessment is a good idea. The psychologist has to observe you very closely, especially while you are completing IQ tests (including watching the paper as you are completing the test). That's difficult to do over web cam.