Autism Assessments

Click on this link to access the application form.

We are typically booked about 8-12 weeks in advance, but maintain a cancellation list.

Assessments are provided by means of a donation directly to Wilderwood. The current minimum donation is $500. The donation contributes to Wilderwood’s programs and supports the work of autistic people in the community and helps offset the expense and time involved in performing clinical assessment and development of a new assessment instrument.

No, and because of this there is no requirement for us to report any diagnostic findings to insurance companies or any third party for that matter. Respondents are assured the outcome is absolutely private.

Yes.

No. This is a common misconception. An unrestricted medical license, such as that held by Dr. Mark Evanko, is valid and legitimate to make a diagnosis of autism. Add to this Dr. Evanko’s 35+ years of clinical and diagnostic experience, knowledge of the presentation of autism in women and minority groups, and his qualifications to levy a diagnosis (where clinically apparent and supported by observational and documentary evidence) are exceptional.

We also refer to the respected AANE organization and its statements about assessments for autism in adults, which reads:

“Many individuals pursue neuropsychological testing with a neuropsychologist (Ph.D) or a psychiatrist (MD) … . The clinician will usually ask questions about your behavioral history, make behavioral observations, and administer various paper-and-pencil or computer-based tests to evaluate a range of cognitive, linguistic, and communicational abilities. … Any professional with the credentials and expertise to diagnose any other condition may also make a diagnosis of ASD.”

Assessment of autism at Wilderwood is a team effort. While the diagnosis is made under the medical license of Dr. Mark Evanko, the assessment process also involves Dr. Rebecca Evanko, who holds a research Ph.D in Cognitive Linguistics. Note the language from the AANE statement above that describes what is typically assessed in an evaluation: “…a range of cognitive, linguistic, and communicational abilities.” Moreover, her dissertation examined and analyzed differences between unfiltered (autistic) and filtered (non-autistic) thinking and communication. Dr. Evanko herself is also autistic.

Add to this that research into the often subtly nuanced presentation of autism in women and adult minorities is only recently emerging. As a result, many psychologists, psychiatrists, and other practitioners are not trained or experienced in the assessment of autism in women and adult minorities. As a specific example, we have had women who are clearly autistic speak or write of experiencing assessments where they have been told by psychologists or psychiatrists that they “cannot” be autistic because they “make eye contact” or “have a degree” or “don’t like trains” (unbelievably enough, this last one was told to us on two separate occasions).

An unrestricted medical license, such as that held by Dr. Mark Evanko, confers the practitioner’s ability to make diagnoses from the DSM-V: all diagnoses from the DSM-V. A psychologist or psychiatrist can also make diagnoses from the DSM-V; however, the latter licenses are restricted to psychological or psychiatric conditions. So, all these professionals can make the diagnosis of autism in adults. What makes the critical differential is the practitioner’s knowledge and experience of autism in women and minority adult populations.

By credit card with a small fee levied by the third-party agency that collects the donations or via PayPal. The donation can also be made by check or money order made out to Wilderwood.

Yes. Typical assessments comprise a multi-page written report as well as a separate one-page document with the assessment findings. We do this so that respondents can then choose which report to use depending on their level of comfort in sharing personal information with others.

Either.

Each assessment requires submission of a detailed narrative to facilitate a thorough discourse analysis. The absolute minimum is 5-6 pages, though it’s not uncommon to see 20 or even 30+ pages. The narrative asks you to recall events in your life both as a child and an adult, requiring reflective writing on your challenges, strengths, struggles, and achievements . Some respondents choose to also illustrate their narratives with art, photos, poetry, or creative writing.

WRADIANCE^© stands for Wilderwood Reflective Assessment and Diagnostic Indicator of Autistic and Neurodivergent Cognitive Expression.

A diagnostic trial involves people who have signs or indications of the condition being studied and refers specifically to trials that are done in order to test, fine-tune, or otherwise develop a clinical tool and/or procedure for better diagnosing a condition. It also contributes to the reliability and validity statistics of a new diagnostic instrument as it is being developed.

Yes. We do not keep data online. We do not share identifying information with anyone. We do not report out to insurance agencies or any third-parties. We do extract non-identifying data for the purposes of researching the diagnostic instrument being developed. Reports are sent through encrypted email. We are happy to send reports via regular mail on request. Once data has been extracted for analysis, all your documents are deleted or destroyed through a secure shredding service.

We also do NOT discuss your assessment with anyone — and will not even respond to anyone who may ask — without your express written permission. We will also communicate directly with you if anyone contacts us with a request to discuss your assessment.

It’s important to note that a diagnosis and accommodations are two distinct, though related, entities. For those receiving a diagnosis of autism, the report that is generated includes a statement of diagnosis from a licensed United States physician, and a general outline of potential accommodations that may be helpful to autistic people at school or work. While the diagnosis can be used to start the process of requesting work or school accommodations, specific accommodation request plans should be developed in collaboration with your therapist, counselor, or medical/mental health provider with whom you have an established therapeutic relationship. We do not write accommodation letters nor do we sign off on accommodation documentation.

Federal and state disability processes are involved and rigorous. The purposes of Wilderwood’s assessment process is to provide a diagnosis of autism if criteria is met and also as a diagnostic trial to develop a new assessment instrument. For those who are specifically seeking disability benefits, it is highly recommended to discuss the requirements of a particular claim with the governmental department, division, or other entity involved in that process. There is no therapeutic relationship established as part of the assessment and any data that is retained is non-identifying for the purposes of diagnostic trial; as such, no producible records are kept, nor is there any implied or ongoing clinical relationship with any client.

Yes. Because the assessment is for the purposes of diagnostic trial to develop a new instrument, it is important that a wide representation of participants is assessed for the purposes of reliability and validity of the instrument. This includes diversity in geographic location, age, ethnicity, gender, and other multicultural variables. Diverse locations, identities, and backgrounds, therefore, are welcome and encouraged.

While in the initial stages of research we did include assessment of males, we are no longer assessing males as part of our research protocol.

No. The assessment service is for the purposes of a one-time assessment of autism if diagnostic criteria are met and for the development of a new diagnostic tool. No therapeutic relationship is implied, nor should it be inferred.

No. While we recognize that autism can be accompanied by other conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, or PTSD, this assessment service is solely for assessing autism and to contribute to development of a new clinical tool for the assessment of autism. Having said that, as part of the assessment protocol, we do screen for depression and anxiety and report those results to each client with the recommendation, if indicated, to follow-up with their own clinician or health care provider.

Yes.

Some people have asked us about our research and development of the WRADIANCE instrument, including questions about an IRB (Institutional Review Board). Wilderwood is not part of a federally funded or university funded research program so the answer is for the first phase of development and research we cannot access an IRB. That is not to say we are not concerned about ethics and integrity in our research: of course we are. This is why an IRB equivalent Research Review Panel (RRP), comprising professionals in the community of high standing, integrity, and ethics (including a judge, the Executive Director of a major legal firm, a licensed clinical social worker, a physician, a psychologist, and a former coordinator and member of an Ethics Committee at a major metropolitan hospital), was convened in September 2021. The RRP has performed the equivalent role of an IRB, reviewing and affirming our research protocol and procedures. Additionally, the main researcher holds a research Ph.D, has published prior research in academic and peer-reviewed journals, and has served as an academic Dean in several institutions of higher learning, and is therefore both conversant and practiced with requirements of ethical and appropriate academic research.

Development of the WRADIANCE relies on the generous, donated time of the researchers. There is ZERO governmental, institutional, educational, or corporate funding for this research. In exchange for donating considerable time to not only research, write about, analyze, and develop the WRADIANCE, not to mention the time it takes to administer the assessment protocol, the researchers respectfully request a one-time reasonable minimum donation of $500 directly to Wilderwood from those who are taking part in the research and potentially benefiting from the knowledge gained. Some people donate more. Either way, autistic people are benefiting from the donations to Wilderwood’s programs, research, and services. If in the case there is any future revenue coming from publication and/or licensing of the WRADIANCE, Wilderwood — not the researchers — is the direct beneficiary and owner of the copyright, again thanks to a generous donation of that intellectual property to Wilderwood from the researchers.

The second phase of the WRADIANCE’s development is being conducted in collaboration with a research university; therefore, IRB approval will be obtained prior to clinical trial and further analysis of the instrument and protocol. However, no research funding or transference of intellectual property will result from that future institutional affiliation.

Currently our research focus is on autism in women and the autistic female phenotype. This does not mean that we do not welcome assessment inquiries from the respective communities of transgender, nonbinary, and LGBTQ communities. What it does mean is that our research focus is on autism as it presents in women. And, while we have assessed males in the initial phases of research to provide comparative samples, we are now at a stage in the research where we are no longer assessing male respondents.

Contact Wilderwood by phone at (505) 459-9813 or email at office@wilderwoodequinetherapy.org