What to expect?
At Autism Solutions, we focus on autism assessments for persons aged 2.5 years old through adulthood. If you are looking for an assessment, here is what you can expect: 3-5 comprehensive visits lasting anywhere from 1-3 hours each to help determine any presence of autism or similar diagnoses. This will include a clinical interview, data gleaned from self-report or parent-report forms, administration of the ADOS-2 as well as a cognitive screener, and possible additional measures on a case by case basis. You will be informed in detail at the start of the assessment what to expect.
After all the information has been gathered, our psychologist will sit down with you for a personalized feedback session describing the results in language you will understand, and provide recommendations (if any are needed). It is important to understand that in completing this process, a diagnosis of autism or autism spectrum is not guaranteed; it will be depended on the results of this thorough investigation. No matter what, however, this detailed process can provide substantial information about the functioning of your loved ones, or yourself, and can help provide new directions. If you have further questions, you can feel free to contact our office prior to deciding to pursue an assessment.
Meet our Clincical Psychologist!
My name is Jackie Nelson, and I am a licensed clinical psychologist who is very much looking forward to meeting you and your family. I completed my doctorate in Seattle, WA with a special emphasis on child psychology, assessment, and diagnosis. I have worked in a variety of settings with children who have had a wide range of symptoms severity. I also have substantial experience working with adults individually. I completed my doctoral internship at BYU in their counseling program, and received additional training on assessment, clinical care, and administration. I take a systems perspective in my work, meaning that I try to take in all the information I can from as many areas as possible before coming to any clinical decisions (ex. impact of environment, cultural factors, relevant history, family dynamics, etc.). Essentially, I take the whole person into consideration, not just their symptoms. I think of myself as a detective – gathering clues from lots of different places in you or your family’s life to help come to an objective conclusion.
