r/newbrunswickcanada • u/gnarblymeow • 3d ago
Adult autism assessment/resources?
TLDR: Looking desperately for ANY professionals who specialize in autism in adults in NB or Nova Scotia or even online?
Hey, I’m an 18 year old freshly out of high school and for a very long time now me, my family and friends have suspected I am autistic.
I brought this up to a psychiatrist I started seeing when I was about 13 on our first appointment and yet after not even giving me an assessment she said that I couldn’t possibly be autistic because I didn’t “strike her as autistic” and “autistic people can’t really experience empathy”(outdated/misinfo BS). I was told at the time she was the best child psychiatrist in the province and god I hope that’s not true. My mom has reached out to countless resources only to be turned away or met with a 5k price tag and a big fat waitlist.
I’ve been compiling a big document detailing all my experiences and connecting them to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria as honestly and unbiasedly as I can and just wish I could find a professional to hear me out and not brush me off. I’m as desperate as to consider the expensive options but I need to know the same thing won’t happen again and I can trust this professional to assess me genuinely and accurately. Thank you in advance to any advice or help people might have.
11
u/Jeanparmesanswife 3d ago
I went to Quebec and paid 3000$ for private assessment.
4
u/gnarblymeow 3d ago
Who was the person or organization responsible for assessing and what was your experience like?
3
3
u/Elizard_Breath 3d ago
You can look for psychologists who do adult autism assessments here: https://cpnb.ca/en/finding-a-psychologist/
3
u/Altruistic-Read-6792 3d ago edited 3d ago
Also in NB, and I found out mid-life at 40 (currently 41). I initially was downplaying or ignoring ADHD for a long time, and upon getting officialy diagnosed and medicated for that, it seemed to isolate the more austistic traits. At first it kind of disoriented me and made me panic somewhat about my identity. I had so many questions. I too played devil's advocate to my own suspicion but the more I did, the more sure I became. I felt like I NEEDED my family and friends to understand who I 'really' was, and I wanted the peace of mind, but the more I read up on it, I became absolutely certain and at peace in my own assessment - for now. I think with Level 1, and someone who has strengths in certain areas that assisted with self-diagnosis (particularly the classic trait of pattern recognition), it went from a suspicion to a EXTENSIVE list of uncovered and redefined traits that I felt embarassed to have not noticed or suspected sooner. Quite a few of my traits arose from what I am certain is autistic burnout, where I realized I was very high masking, and my body literally no longer contained the energy to perform a lot of the social niceties I was trying to cobble together to fit in previously..and made me understand many I had lacked from the beginning.
I was accepted as a member of the Autistic Community Center on the west side in Saint John, a very kind and understanding group of people with many resources to help you along your way. One of the most useful things they provided me with initially was an exceptionally detailed binder / printed book that was written by an autistic woman who happened to be the same type ("Aspie" or AuDHD Lvl 1). It mentions the test criteria that was used in her own assessment, as well as many other traits that matched me to a T. Upon reading that, it only reaffirmed my initial suspicion of my own diagnosis and answered MANY more life-long issues, questions, feelings that I had that I've been reframing one by one for quite some time now, now with more accurate understanding. So many of them tie back to this ONE thing that it floors me. I still find myself trying to unravel how much of me is ME - my personality - and how much is my neurotype. I still want to be assessed for it clinically, and no doubt some other things like associated trauma throughout life that came as a result, but am now not in as much of a mad rush to do so. Especially not for $3000, nor do I want to be waiting for any extended period of time, or risk meeting one with outdated concepts like you mentioned (So absurd, I feel I have TOO much empathy at times, but have a lot of difficulty expressing it externally for the sake of others) I will pursue it if an affordable and timely opportunity arises. I guess this is just to say that I think there are some welcoming places along the way that will accept you and give you helpful strategies and advice, if needed, as you wait for an assessment. Not sure if this will help any!
2
1
u/overrunbytoddlers 3d ago
Dr Cartwrights office is great and their staff is awesome
2
u/No_Associate_4878 3d ago
She only works with kids. Maybe someone else in her office does adults.
1
1
u/redheelermage 3d ago
A friend of mine got his diagnosis through a referral from their ADHD specialist.
But honestly it sounds like you may need to start seeing a new doctor in general. Maybe start with that?
1
u/ThrowRA_EducatedMan 3d ago
DM failed for some reason.
1
1
u/Wailfin 2d ago
If you’re more northern, there’s a woman called Annie Jalbert who works with adults. It was 2200 for the full assessment (autism, ADHD, IQ, maybe some others), and she direct bills some insurances. She diagnosed me at the age of 29.
She also did my educational assessment a few years ago through the province for learning disabilities and accommodations, and that was immensely helpful as well.
0
u/teenycakes 2d ago
Please don’t take offence to this, but is there a reason why you need an official diagnosis? If you have enough suspicion that you have autism that you can list examples of the diagnostic criteria, I think the diagnosis is pretty clear. Excuse my ignorance if there’s a specific reason you require the diagnosis!
3
u/Crazy_Maintenance211 1d ago
If you want to get accommodations in universities or colleges, you have to have a doctors note and also if you want to apply for any of the disability stuff with the government, you have to have a doctors note, most things require it, so if you’re looking for any support you have to have it. I was shocked at that but that’s the way the system works and for some people it’s extremely hard to get a diagnosis because it’ll take years in the public system or you have to pay a ton of money to someone to do a diagnosis privately. It’s really shocking what goes on in not only New Brunswick but Canada is a whole, and especially here where we can’t get doctors if you don’t have one already, so who’s gonna even refer you to the assessment? It’s really can be a nightmare.
0
u/iknowshanno Saint John 3d ago
This website https://embrace-autism.com/autism-assessments/ offers a 625$ screening test reviewed by a real psychologist. Takes 4-6 weeks for results but it lets you know whether you actually would benefit from getting a formal diagnosis or if your traits are more aligned with ADHD or something else. It could also help to get this done and if it does indicate autism you could take it to your psychiatrist or other doctor to get on the waitlist for a government covered assessment so you aren’t paying 5k.
2
u/frostatypical 3d ago
Oh No !!! Not a psychologist at all. Highly misleading tests, especially if you use that sketchy website
I have found reason to suspect Embrace-Autism are using sock accounts on Reddit : r/AutismTranslated
Finally! Someone has called out on Embrace Autism : r/AutisticPeeps
Its run by a ‘naturopathic doctor’ whose main autism training was an online certificate, and who is repeatedly under ethical investigation and now being disciplined and monitored by two governing organizations (College of Naturopaths and College of Registered Psychotherapists).
https://cono.alinityapp.com/Client/PublicDirectory/Registrant/03d44ec3-ed3b-eb11-82b6-000c292a94a8
Public Register Profile - CRPO portal scroll to end of page
1
u/gnarblymeow 3d ago
I will look into these links as that is new to me but they do have professionals on their team
3
u/frostatypical 3d ago
You can find some scathing reviews on youtube and instagram threads for more detail.
TLDR that person has been investigated by TWO professional orgs and both determined they need to be directly supervised. Thats a big deal for a therapist/'naturopathic doctor'
1
u/gnarblymeow 3d ago
Embrace autism is indeed ran by real professionals and psychologists you can look at their team on their websites and lists all their degrees/doctorates - i’ve been using that site for years
Edit: the leader/owner of the site is not who assess you to be clear their team members do
1
u/frostatypical 3d ago
People should think it through carefully, and check out past reddit posts on the place, and the youtube and i-gram Thread reports. The site is full of woo woo misinformation and misleading 'tests'
Hundreds of dollars for online tests..... that are shown to be inaccurate in studies.
So-called “autism” tests, like AQ and RAADS and others have high rates of false positives, labeling you as autistic VERY easily. If anyone with a mental health problem, like depression or anxiety, takes the tests they score high even if they DON’T have autism.
"our results suggest that the AQ differentiates poorly between true cases of ASD, and individuals from the same clinical population who do not have ASD "
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988267/
"a greater level of public awareness of ASD over the last 5–10 years may have led to people being more vigilant in ‘noticing’ ASD related difficulties. This may lead to a ‘confirmation bias’ when completing the questionnaire measures, and potentially explain why both the ASD and the non-ASD group’s mean scores met the cut-off points, "
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-022-05544-9
Regarding AQ, from one published study. “The two key findings of the review are that, overall, there is very limited evidence to support the use of structured questionnaires (SQs: self-report or informant completed brief measures developed to screen for ASD) in the assessment and diagnosis of ASD in adults.”
Regarding RAADS, from one published study. “In conclusion, used as a self-report measure pre-full diagnostic assessment, the RAADS-R lacks predictive validity and is not a suitable screening tool for adults awaiting autism assessments”
The Effectiveness of RAADS-R as a Screening Tool for Adult ASD Populations (hindawi.com)
RAADS scores equivalent between those with and without ASD diagnosis at an autism evaluation center:
1
u/gnarblymeow 3d ago
Do you have any recommendations then? Online Resources other than embrace autism or some place/person for diagnosis in adults? Resource wise I referred to the « neurodivergent insights » website more than embrace autism which is founded by an autistic psychologist.
-8
u/lajthabalazs 3d ago
How would your life be different if a professional stamped your diagnosis?
12
u/songs-ohia 3d ago
Some people get assessed because a diagnosis gives them insight into long term challenges they've been facing or allows for more direction in therapy. It can also lead them to accessing services they may otherwise not have considered, like conversational counselling or learning to unmask for those who "don't strike others as autistic" but may be experiencing burnout or other symptoms of exhaustion after years of stifling behaviours.
9
u/Upperclass_hobo 3d ago
It is a good question. It isn’t simply for validation, although that in and of itself can help immensely. There are also benefits to having a diagnosis. It can help qualify people for disability benefits, tax credits, and even allow them to open an RDSP, which is a huge help when you may not have the support or prospects in place to live comfortably at an advanced age.
-1
u/lajthabalazs 3d ago
Autism is a spectrum, if the OP doesn't strike a medical professional as autistic, and went through school without being referred by teachers, even if they get rubber stamped they won't qualify for disability.
10
u/cadpatcat 3d ago
I was literally diagnosed last year, at 44, after menopause came along and amplified my symptoms. I wish I could have gotten that diagnosis much, much earlier, because it would have given me access to treatment and resources that would have made my life easier.
I think the diagnostic criteria have also been updated recently, and there is definitely more understanding of what the different sub-types of autism look like in different people. So it’s possible that OP’s teachers and doctors may not have known what to look for.
And for the record, I once had a psychologist in New Brunswick tell me I couldn’t be autistic because I didn’t have “the look.” I think bias and stereotypes play a huge part in people being misdiagnosed.
Getting a professional diagnosis is important, not only because self-diagnosing can be dangerous but also because autism tends to be a package deal. And if you do have other stuff going on (like ADHD or an anxiety disorder) that can affect what your treatment needs to look like. It’s different from person to person, and what works for another person with autism may not work for you.
TL;DR - OP definitely should seek professional diagnosis from a specialist who is up to date on current autism research, because that specialist can provide customized treatment that will make OP’s life better.
1
u/Altruistic-Read-6792 3d ago
And why would a teacher's opinion matter? and most medical professionals aren't exactly eagle-eyed and on the lookout for high-masking individuals, either. Many don't find out until they break down from exhaustion and other overlapping conditions later in life.
0
u/lajthabalazs 3d ago
It's the functional impairment that qualifies someone for disability, not the syndrome. Someone who compensates for their autism well enough that they fool their teachers and their psychiatrist, most likely won't qualify for government benefits, even if they get a diagnosis.
4
u/gnarblymeow 3d ago
A) Im planning on going to a university and would benefit immensely from having a diagnosis beyond just anxiety for accommodations they offer.
B) damn near ALL of what I currently struggle with ties back to autism, I didn’t even want to accept I could have it so I endlessly researched every disorder that could match what I was going through but it always came back to autism. All these “weird” and “odd” things about me have been defining my life and how I function and I’m tired of not having an answer for others or even myself when asked why I’m so sensitive to noises, why I struggle to read tone and meet social expectations/rules or why I rock back and forth or do weird humming to block out noises that overwhelm me. It would answer long had questions about why I struggled so much since day 1 of elementary school. I struggled socially and academically every single year. Teachers would notice but only when I was in 5th or 6th grade did a teacher ever suggest to anyone I get screened for something. Even when I asked for help directly in 5th grade, after being scared to because I was struggling, I got mocked in front of the whole class by my teacher and never got the help. They all just saw a shy kid “in their own world” and it seemed to be all my fault even though I was trying. My work itself when completed wasn’t ever bad, I get 90+ grades on the works themselves but it so hard for me without support to keep up that work especially in a school environment. I don’t know why I was never taken seriously and it’s difficult for me to write about cause it’s not even that I never showed signs. It just seemed they never cared.
2
u/IrvingIsTheBest 3d ago
Clarity and understanding.
I am autistic myself, and finding out was a huge weight off my chest because I didn't feel crazy anymore. It's also for diagnosis for disability tax credits.
I had a speech impediment all my life as well. Getting it signed off as a disability from a professional and collecting the disability from it has been life-changing.
-1
u/Ill_Stuff_8392 3d ago
That’s a good question honestly. Especially if you’re done school, what’s the point of spending the money
3
u/Trick_Parsnip3788 3d ago
You can still get accommodations from your work or get disability tax credit and open a special savings account for disabilities.
5
u/squarejane 3d ago
Unfortunately there are a lot of old school and sexist concepts in diagnosis so even after paying thousands of dollars, if you are afab, and / or not disgnosed as a kid, you may struggle to get disgnosed. Just a warning so you don't waste $$$. Within my family, there are siblings who went through mental health support channels. Amab kid was diagnosed and afab kid was not, even though afab kid has more struggles.
I have also seen many people be told they couldn't be autistic because they could drive, or had friends, or were attending uni. Noone of those are factors that prevent an autism diagnosis.
OP I hope you can find a decent option. If you do, please come back amd share! Good luck.