Psychological Testing & Autism Evaluations in Morton Grove, IL

An autism evaluation looks at social communication, sensory experiences, developmental history, repetitive or restricted patterns, and how these characteristics affect everyday life. Our evaluations are designed to consider the individual's overall presentation rather than relying on a single set of behaviors.

Some autistic individuals become highly skilled at masking their traits and adapting to social expectations. This can make autism difficult to recognize during childhood or even through previous evaluations. Our clinicians consider less visible presentations, including experiences that may appear as anxiety, burnout, exhaustion, or difficulty coping rather than more recognizable autistic characteristics. This can be especially relevant for AFAB individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and people whose presentation did not match traditional expectations.

PDA, commonly described as Pathological Demand Avoidance or Pervasive Drive for Autonomy, involves a strong need to resist or avoid everyday demands and expectations. These patterns can sometimes be interpreted as defiance, oppositional behavior, anxiety, or lack of motivation. When clinically appropriate, our evaluators consider PDA characteristics within the broader context of an autism evaluation.

Testing can help explore concerns involving attention, working memory, executive functioning, organization, impulsivity, learning, and task management. An evaluation can provide greater clarity when these challenges affect school, employment, relationships, or everyday responsibilities.

Parents may consider an evaluation when a child has ongoing concerns involving learning, attention, behavior, emotional regulation, development, social interaction, or communication. Testing can help clarify the factors contributing to these difficulties and provide recommendations that are relevant to the child's needs.

Adults may seek psychological testing when they have longstanding questions about autism, ADHD, cognitive functioning, learning, executive functioning, or other developmental concerns. Some adults pursue an evaluation after years of adapting to difficulties that were previously attributed to anxiety, stress, personality, or other explanations.

The social and academic demands of adolescence can make previously overlooked differences more noticeable. A specialized evaluation can help explore concerns involving social communication, sensory experiences, masking, relationships, school demands, and developmental history.

If you or your child has previously received an autism evaluation but still have questions about the results, a second opinion can provide another clinical perspective. This may be particularly helpful when the original evaluation did not fully capture high-masking characteristics, developmental history, or PDA-related concerns.