How to Prepare for an Autism Diagnosis?IN BRIEF
Meeting with a specialist to better understand our neurological differences can feel stressful. To ensure the best outcomes, it’s essential to be honest and not hide any challenges. It’s normal for people to become emotional during this process, as it often brings up difficult memories—there’s no need to feel bad about this. During the diagnostic appointment, it’s crucial to bring documentation and observations from other professionals. You can also include relevant reports from teachers or employers that relate to your challenges. To better prepare a list of your unique traits, try recalling comments made by those close to you. Involving family or friends can help you review the extensive checklist provided here.
Preparing for a Diagnostic Appointment as a Teen or Adult
The process of obtaining a diagnosis can feel overwhelming. Many people have waited a long time for this step, hoping for clarity and answers. Being well-prepared is key.
Mental Preparation
Multiple Diagnoses
Autism often does not occur in isolation. It is common for individuals to receive multiple diagnoses, some of which might be unexpected.
Ruling Out Misdiagnoses
Sometimes, people suspect they are autistic because their experiences resemble those associated with autism. However, receiving an accurate diagnosis is more important than avoiding mistakes.
Emotional Vulnerability
Discussing challenges and recalling obstacles from the past can be difficult. This process may feel focused on the less pleasant aspects of life. It’s an essential step, and honesty is crucial. The professional is not there to judge you; they need accurate information to provide a reliable diagnosis.
Masking
Many teens and adults have learned to mask their differences to appear “typical.” If possible, try to stop masking during the evaluation. If this isn’t feasible, explaining what you do to mask can help the professional understand your experiences.
Document Preparation
Gather relevant documents that provide insight into your challenges:
- Medical documentation and a list of any known diagnoses.
- Reports or evaluations from other professionals (psychologists, physicians, social workers, etc.).
- Notes or feedback received at work or during your education.
Compiling a List of Differences
People often overlook the full extent of their unique traits or behaviors. Reviewing this list with close family members or those who knew you during childhood can be helpful.
This list should cover more than autism-related traits—it’s a tool to ensure nothing is forgotten.
The senses
Hearing
- Hypersensitivity to certain sounds
- Hyposensitivity to sound
- Sounds that are more bothersome than others
- Sounds that provoke specific reactions
- Misophonia
- Different processing of auditory information
- Comments or feedback about reactions to sounds
- Absolute pitch (recognizing notes without a reference tone)
- Particularities with phone sounds
- Reactions to music (e.g., crying, irritation, excitement)
- Anything unusual related to sounds
- Sounds associated with other senses, such as seeing colors or smelling odors
Smell
- Hypersensitivity to certain smells
- Hyposensitivity to smells
- Smells that are more bothersome than others
- Smells that provoke specific reactions
- Different processing of olfactory information
- Comments or feedback about reactions to smells
- Anything unusual related to smell
Sight
- Hypersensitivity to certain visuals, colors, patterns, etc.
- Specific reactions to certain visuals, colors, patterns, etc.
- Different processing of visual information
- Comments or feedback about reactions to visual input or processing
- Comments or feedback about eye contact or gaze behavior
- Reaction to light
- Different ways of looking or gazing
- Fixed gaze
- Anything unusual related to sight or gaze
Touch – With people
- Differences in how people are touched
- Differences in how one prefers to be touched
- Specific reactions to certain types of physical contact
- Comments or feedback about reactions to touch
- Comments or feedback about how one touches others
- Anything unusual related to physical contact
- Reactions or discomfort with hugs
- Difficulty refraining from touching
- Reactions or discomfort with handshakes
- Differences between light touch and deep touch (e.g., brushing vs. compression)
Touch – Other aspects
- Tactile rituals
- Reactions to touching animals
- Sensitivities related to clothing and comfort (fabric, tags)
- Textures of clothing or everyday objects
- Food textures
- Objects
Particularities related to sensory experiences
- Synesthesia
Relationships and Interactions
Love and Dating
- Unusual difficulties in approaching others
- Different perceptions
- Difficulty understanding social cues
- Comments or feedback received during dating
- Misunderstanding social norms
- Lack of interest
- Difficulty understanding “no”
- Emotional dependency
- Harassment
Sexuality
- No sexual attraction
- Low libido
- Difficulty understanding social norms related to sexuality
- Difficulty understanding or respecting consent
- Difficulty setting personal boundaries
- Challenges with physical touch related to sexuality
- Dislike of being flirted with
- Difficulty understanding one’s partner
Friendship
- Challenges making friends or building relationships
- Difficulty understanding expectations
- Comments or feedback received
- Misunderstanding social norms
- Rejection
- Difficulty respecting others’ boundaries
- Interacting too frequently (according to friends)
- Interacting too infrequently (according to friends)
Family
- Unusual attachment patterns
- Difficulty understanding family connections
- Little or no sense of familial attachment
Other
- Looking others in the eye too much or too little
- A tendency to lecture others
- Wanting to be the boss instead of the boss
- Difficulties with understanding and accepting hierarchies at work (ex. Always acting as if you are the boss)
Communication
Decoding
- Difficulty understanding facial expressions
- Difficulty understanding nonverbal cues
- Difficulty interpreting implied meanings
- Challenges with figurative language
- Taking expressions literally
- Struggling with unspoken expectations or intentions
- Different understanding of humor
- Feedback received regarding empathy
- Not knowing when to stop talking about a topic
Language
- Language difficulties
- Unexplained accent
- Repetition of phrases, words, or sounds (echolalia)
- Monotone, slow, or overly rapid speech
- Speaking too loudly or too softly
Other
- Lack of a conversational filter
- Other communication challenges or a feeling that everyone else communicates differently
- Different communication patterns
- Difficulty following conversations
- Uncertainty about whether people are laughing with or at them
- Frequent social missteps—how and why they occur
- Being perceived as pushy or overbearing in verbal interactions
- Dislike of individuals who play characters (e.g., street performers)
Rigidities and Obsessions
- Rigid, anxious, or obsessive behavior around time or schedules
- Rigid, anxious, or obsessive behavior regarding the placement of objects or people (e.g., seating arrangements)
- Rigid, anxious, or obsessive behavior around rules or laws
- Particular methodologies
- Specific routines
- Obsessions or fixations on certain topics
- Intense passions far beyond the norm
- Unusual reactions to cheating or lying
- Obsessive-compulsive tendencies (OCD)
- Habits or rituals
Sleep
- Insomnia
- Sleep disorders
- Sleep habits different from the norm
Changes / Unexpected Events
- Particular management strategies
- Unique reactions
- Behavior different from the norm
- Specific preparation required
- Comments from others about reactions to changes or unexpected events
- Someone gets a haircut, and you didn’t know—what’s your reaction?
- Furniture is rearranged—how does your reaction differ from the norm?
- Dislike of surprises
Coordination / Motor Skills / Movements
- Different posture
- Movements performed differently from others
- Spontaneous movements in certain situations
- Difficulty or misunderstanding related to specific movements
- Unusual walking style
- Coordination difficulties
- Challenges controlling certain movements
- Walking on tiptoes as a child
- Rocking back and forth
- Arm or hand flapping
Behavior
- Aggressiveness
- Anger
- Verbal violence
- Physical violence
- Impulsivity
Learning
- Major strengths
- Major weaknesses
- Different educational paths
- Unique reading acquisition patterns
- All noted differences in learning
Aversions
- Deep aversions or dislikes outside the norm
Gender
- Different ways of expressing gender
- Difficulty understanding gender-related concepts
- Comments or feedback about gender
- Transidentity
Emotions
- Experiencing emotions much more intensely
- Experiencing emotions much less intensely
- Difficulty identifying one’s own emotions
- Difficulty identifying others’ emotions
- Even when identified, difficulty understanding the emotion
- Confusing emotions with one another
- Struggling to grasp nuances between emotions
- Comments or feedback about emotional behavior
Diet
- Dietary rigidity
- Episodes of binge eating
- Episodes of anorexia
- Other eating disorders
- Particular eating habits
- Difficulty with food textures or colors
- Foods must be kept separate and not touching on the plate
Mental Health
- Episodes of depression
- Episodes of self-harm
- Panic attacks or anxiety crises
- Generalized anxiety
Interests
- Unusual intensity of passions
- Exceptional mastery of a subject
- Atypical interests
- Particularly intense interests
- Collecting or hoarding
Habits
- Eating objects (e.g., paper or other items)
- Hand clapping
- Biting oneself
- Lining up objects
- Fascination with symmetry
External Perspective
- People say the individual is different—what do they say?
- People make comments or complaints that aren’t understood—what do they say?
- If others laugh at the individual, what is being said?
Functioning
- Different techniques for working, memorizing, or concentrating
- Everything related to compensation and avoidance
- Needing lots of time alone
- Being unable to be alone
- More interest in objects than people
- More interest in animals than people
- Inability to stop a task once started until it is finished
- Low tolerance for stress and risk
- Overanalyzing
Various Difficulties
- Prosopagnosia (difficulty recognizing faces)
- Difficulty obtaining a driver’s license or driving
- Phobias
- Sense of direction that is either underdeveloped or highly developed
- Difficulty orienting oneself in space
- Struggling to distinguish left from right
Finally
- Anything others find abnormal or judge negatively. Don’t rely solely on current life circumstances where the individual might have found understanding people—refer to past years when particularities were noted.
- Any other particularity not listed
Source
Adaptation of the content of the Bleuet atypique page, with the permission of the author