Adult diagnosis of Autism

Things you might not know

It might surprise you to know there is no standard procedure to determine or identify autism.

There is not a genetic test, a test for chromosomes, blood test,
a certain “look” or appearance ( You don’t “look ” autistic) for autism.

There are no standard characteristic behaviors that all autistic people share.

Science is still learning how best to identify autism. In recent years more information has been discovered that has helped shape our idea of autism.

Autism’s rarity (believed to be 2 to 3 percent of the total population although nobody really Knows, since diagnosis is often missed, especially among minorities and among women).

There is not information about autism in many cultures around the world,
its frequency, nor is there understanding of autism at all in many places on earth.

Many diagnosing doctors in “developed” countries around the world are using information that is decades old, and these “specialists” may not be seeking new information besides what they learned as students.

Information in books is not up to date- by the time any book is published much information is already dated.

Consider then, that those professionals who went to school 30, 20, or even 10 years ago will be using information they learned that long ago from books that were outdated when they were studying them, and attempting to apply it when they try to diagnose autism.

Unless they have made autism a specialty, only 2 or 3 percent of any neurologist, neuropsychologist, or psychologist’s clients will likely be autistic.
With so little understanding and so little practice at sorting information regarding diagnosis, is it any wonder that even when we attempt diagnosis by a professional, so many of us (autistic folk) are given misdiagnoses?

Don’t be dismayed if this happens to you. You can keep seeking diagnosis with somebody who specializes in autism and has experience with adults, minorities, women, elderly, etc. depending upon one’s self description. There will be difficulty today in locating such an individual.

Many adults report living with misdiagnoses and being unsuccessfully medicated or given treatments for disorders they do not have until their autism was discovered. How many others are out there still, being given ineffective treatments, being told they are atypical or intractable examples of their (wrong) disorder?

If all treatment fails and you are still suffering and not finding change or relief for your diagnosed disorder, you may have been given a false diagnosis/label due to the lack of familiarity with autism and the many ways it can present itself.


Today autism is diagnosed by observing behaviors, testing neurology, discussing one’s life history and quirks and struggles. Everything depends on the skill and experience and up to date knowledge of the diagnosing professional.

The only criteria that is used is behavioral.
There is no other criteria at this time that can be used.

Autism is still new to science and until very recently there has been very little understanding of autism as having a neurological basis. Even in the past 5 years autism is described as being neurodevelopmental and based in the differences of our neurological development as compared to “average” or “normal” development in our peers.

Obtaining diagnosis for autism in adults will become easier in time as better tools are found and applied by more competent and better educated professionals. That time can not come soon enough for the over 5 million autistic adults in the USA, most of whom have no idea they are autistic.