Psychological Testing & Autism Evaluations in Chicago, IL

An autism evaluation can help clarify questions related to social communication, sensory experiences, repetitive behaviors, developmental history, and other characteristics associated with autism. Evaluations may be appropriate for individuals who have longstanding questions about whether autism may help explain their experiences, including people who were not identified earlier in life.

Some autistic individuals learn to camouflage or “mask” their traits so effectively that autism may not be recognized during childhood or earlier evaluations. This can be particularly relevant for AFAB (assigned female at birth) individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and students of color. Our clinicians are trained to recognize high-masking presentations and understand how masking may contribute to experiences such as anxiety, burnout, exhaustion, or feeling that previous diagnoses did not fully explain an individual’s experiences.

PDA is a profile within the autism spectrum characterized by an intense, anxiety-driven need to resist or avoid everyday demands and expectations, including demands an individual may genuinely want to meet. Demand avoidance can sometimes be interpreted as oppositional behavior, anxiety, or a behavioral or parenting concern. As part of a comprehensive autism evaluation, our clinicians can assess for characteristics associated with PDA and help individuals and families better understand their experiences and potential support needs.

Psychological testing can help evaluate concerns involving attention, executive functioning, organization, impulsivity, learning, and related areas. An assessment may help clarify whether ADHD or another psychological or developmental factor could be contributing to difficulties at school, work, home, or in daily life.

Parents may consider psychological testing when a child is experiencing ongoing concerns involving learning, attention, behavior, emotional regulation, development, or social interaction. An evaluation can help organize information about a child’s strengths and challenges while addressing the specific questions that led the family to seek testing.

Adults may seek psychological evaluation when they want greater clarity about autism, ADHD, cognitive functioning, or other lifelong concerns affecting work, relationships, education, or everyday life. Some adults seek an evaluation for the first time in their 30s, 40s, or later after years of masking their traits or being told that their difficulties were simply related to anxiety or another concern.

Adolescence can bring new questions about social communication, identity, sensory experiences, school demands, friendships, and relationships. A specialized autism evaluation can provide greater clarity for teens whose characteristics may have been overlooked because they mask effectively at school or in social settings.

If you or your family previously received an autism evaluation and still have questions about the findings, a second opinion can provide another clinical perspective. This may be particularly useful when an earlier evaluation did not fully account for high-masking characteristics, internalized experiences, or PDA-related patterns.