While you notice some of the signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in yourself, the next step would be to consider how to be diagnosed with autism.
There are some methods available that are used by the medical professionals who use the assessment of behavior and development of the specific individual for the formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
Diagnosing autism spectrum disorder can be difficult because it does not involve any blood test or medical test to diagnose the disorder.
ASD diagnosis is usually done after the detection of autistic symptoms by parents in their children who are 18 months or younger. These symptoms and other diagnostic tools are used by the formal diagnosis or formal assessment of the disorder by a family doctor or a trained specialist.
This article lays out the credible ways that can be used for the autism diagnosis in children, as well as some of the ways to diagnose adult autism.
What is Autism?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social interaction skills, communication skills, relationship building, and self-regulation, appearing usually during early childhood.
It includes repetitive behaviors, sensory issues, and problems with other life skills.
It contains a spectrum of symptoms. ASD contains the term ‘spectrum’ because of the same reason ASD contains a range of symptoms in the life of a person with this disorder.
What are the 3 main symptoms of autism?
Although there are a number of symptoms associated with autism spectrum disorder, there are three main symptoms that can be associated with autism and can help you in your answer about how to be diagnosed with autism.
These top 3 symptoms are listed below:
Poor development of social skills
Difficulty in expression and response
Restrictive and repetitive behaviors
Early signs of ASD:
While the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder start appearing from early childhood which parents can notice in their own kids, they may remain undiagnosed for some time.
The early diagnosis happens at the age of 18 months or younger, and the diagnosis at the age of 2 by an experienced professional is considered a reliable diagnosis.
Some early signs of autism:
Early signs of autism need to be identified to diagnose ASD early for timely intervention, otherwise, the treatment will be delayed and hence the help that these people need.
Some of the early possible signs of autism are listed below:
Showing little interest in other children and caregivers
Getting upset easily with minor changes in the routine
Limited use of language with difficulty in using words for communication
Avoiding the use of eye contact
How to be diagnosed with autism?
The first step is to identify some symptoms related to autism after getting some information from the helpful resources. Then, you can move towards the next step by consulting the general physician or the doctor of your family members.
Then, the GP can direct you to the psychologist or psychiatrist for the formal diagnosis, who will check your behavior and symptoms and confirm the presence of this condition in any other family member.
The healthcare providers can also diagnose some underlying and related issues like ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and other disabilities that need proper autism diagnosis so that these conditions do not get mixed up with autism spectrum disorder and get a proper diagnosis if you missed your diagnosis as a child, which many adults do.
Can I diagnose myself with autism?
There are some possible symptoms that you can observe for the identification of the possibility of autism spectrum disorder in yourself. But, you cannot do the official diagnosis of autism in yourself.
If you feel that there are some underlying problems in yourself and your behavior, and aim to identify some underlying problems, you can then move towards the official diagnosis and autism assessment.
Resources:
You can find resources to help in the adult diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and you can find some observations related to their diagnostic assessment. Then young adults must move towards the formal diagnosis of adult autism.
Problems with autism self-diagnosis:
There are some underlying problems that can accompany the adult autism diagnosis. This self-discovery and adult autism assessment can sometimes lead to inaccurate conclusions.
That is why a clinician or the specifically trained specialist can do a better diagnosis of adult autism with their resources and ultimately suggest treatment options.
How do adults get assessed for autism?
There are no standard diagnostic criteria available for adult ASD diagnosis, but there is development happening in depth in this area. Clinicians diagnose adults with some in-person assessments and observations done to assess any underlying condition related to autism.
The clinicians assess the reported symptoms that the person is experiencing and then move towards the official diagnosis and how to be diagnosed with autism.
The inheritance factor:
Autism can run in families. As there is also the inheritance factor of autism, the clinician will also ask whether any family member is also diagnosed with autism. If any of your other family members also have this issue, there are possible chances of you facing this issue.
Getting started with ASD diagnosis:
You can start your ASD diagnosis with your family doctor who will first ensure that there is not any underlying physical condition that is causing your symptoms related to autism.
After the assessment, the family doctor will direct you to the psychologists or psychiatrists for a second opinion, further information, and formal diagnosis using the specific diagnostic tools.
The psychologist will ask you to answer questions and guide you through the process of how to be diagnosed with autism.
How do I find out if I’m autistic?
The autism spectrum disorder symptoms start appearing in childhood, but they can remain undiagnosed since you reach adulthood. For adult autism diagnosis, there are some symptoms that can be used for the diagnosis of autism as an adult.
Some signs of autism as an adult:
Some of the adult autism diagnosis symptoms that are found as a part of adult diagnosis are following:
Finding it challenging to understand the feelings and thinking of other people
Getting highly anxious about the social interaction and situations
Finding it challenging to express yourself
Liking the same routine every day and getting highly anxious and uncomfortable if anything changes
Taking things literally and not understanding the hidden meaning behind something said in the sense of sarcasm or literal phrases
Seeming like blunt and uninterested in other adults without meaning to
Not understanding social cues
Making poor or no eye contact and inappropriate facial expressions
Trouble making friends
Showing strong interest in certain subjects and having a narrow area of interest
Sensory issues where you feel extreme emotions when exposed to high sensory conditions like temperature, loud noises, etc.
Noticing meager details, sounds, smells, and patterns that others cannot judge
Trouble making a talk and keeping friends
Who can diagnose me with autism?
A medical doctor who is qualified and trained as a developmental pediatrician can diagnose autism and other developmental disabilities.
These professionals do the analysis of psychosocial and behavioral elements of the people considering their mental health issues for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and can give a further guide about the process of how to be diagnosed with autism.
Children diagnosis:
For the children who are suspected of autism, parents can take their child to the child psychologist, who is trained and board-certified in mental health and disorder diagnosis and treatment.
Can MRI detect autism in adults?
The research suggests that normal brain function requires the left and right brain hemispheres to work properly for the process in the brain to work properly.
A brain MRI can possibly detect the presence of autism in the brain by detecting the dysfunction in these areas.
Can a neurologist diagnose ASD?
A neurologist can play a part in the diagnostic process of ASD whereby he can use the study or tools based on research to get the ASD diagnosis by ruling out all the other related neurological disorders.
For the purpose of ASD diagnosis, they can get support by performing developmental motor testing and neurological testing and getting the proper diagnosis.
Wrapping Up How to be diagnosed with autism?
Many individuals who remain undiagnosed in their childhood struggle in life. Proper support, research, utilization of resources, communication, and talk with the medical professionals, leading to the process of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder can help many adults to excel in life and live it in a better way.
This article – developed on research-based resources – is meant to give ways to many individuals who are struggling with their social or communication issues in life, and suspect autism to get a brief overview about how to be diagnosed with autism.
