Understanding the Role of Self-Assessments

As part of your Autism, ADHD, or AuDHD assessment, you’ll complete a series of evidence-informed self-assessments. These do not determine a diagnosis on their own — instead, they provide extra context to support our conversations in session.

What the Assessments Cover

These measures explore many aspects of your experience, including:

  • Attention, focus, and executive functioning

  • Sensory sensitivities

  • Emotional regulation

  • Masking or camouflaging behaviors

  • Social communication and empathy

  • Patterns of interest or repetitive behaviors

Most tools were created by researchers and clinicians outside this practice, which allows us to draw on a wide range of perspectives.

How These Fit into the Full Assessment Process

  • In our sessions, I use the MIGDAS-2 interview and my own set of questions designed to highlight often overlooked aspects of neurodivergence.

  • The self-assessment results add context and language to help us co-create a fuller picture of your strengths and challenges.

  • In some cases, I may include additional screeners for co-occurring experiences (such as anxiety or depression).During your sessions, I’ll be using questions drawn from MIGDAS-2, a narrative-based clinical interview format alongside questions that have become a part of my assessment process that show insight into commonly overlooked features of Neurodivergence.

What to Expect When Taking the Assessments

  • Format: Most assessments are completed online through NovaPsych.

  • Timing: They usually take 5–30 minutes each, and you can work at your own pace.

  • No right or wrong answers: If you feel unsure or overwhelmed, that’s okay — we’ll make sense of your responses together.

  • Mixed results are normal: For example, someone may score high in both empathy and masking; these patterns often reveal important insights.

  • Secure sharing: For assessments not available on NovaPsych (like the AspieQuiz or Monotropism Questionnaire), you’ll simply upload results to your SimplePractice Client Portal or send them via Spruce secure messaging.

Self-Assessments via NovoPsych

  • Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)**

    • Statements: 50

    • Purpose: The AQ is a widely used tool for identifying autistic traits in adults. It examines areas like social skills, attention to detail, imagination, communication, and preference for routine. It’s particularly useful as an initial screening tool to assess whether further evaluation for autism might be beneficial.

    • What It Measures: Social and communication skills, attention to detail, routine preference, and sensory sensitivities.

    Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale–Revised (RAADS–R)**

    • Statements: 80

    • Purpose: The RAADS–R was designed to identify autistic individuals who may go undiagnosed due to masking or presenting with subclinical traits. It’s particularly useful for those who have adapted to neurotypical expectations but still experience significant challenges.

    • What It Measures: Emotional, social, sensory, and motor functioning across different life stages.

    Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1)**

    • Questions: 18 (6 core questions in Part A, 12 supplementary questions in Part B)

    • Purpose: This screening tool identifies symptoms of ADHD in adults. Part A focuses on the most predictive traits, while Part B provides a broader view of symptoms that may warrant discussion with a clinician.

    • What It Measures: Core ADHD symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

    Wender Utah Rating Scale – 25 item version (WURS–25)**

    • Statements: 25

    • Purpose: The WURS–25 is a retrospective self-report tool designed to assess childhood symptoms of ADHD in adults. It’s particularly useful for identifying ADHD that may have been missed earlier in life.

    • What It Measures: Inattention, impulsivity, emotional reactivity, and academic/behavioral challenges in childhood.

    Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI)**

    • Statements: 42

    • Purpose: The CATI provides a broad and updated view of autistic traits based on newer models of autism, such as monotropism and sensory integration. It’s designed to capture a fuller range of autistic experiences beyond traditional tools.

    • What It Measures: Social traits, sensory sensitivity, rigidity, executive function, and deep focus.

  • Camouflaging Autistic Traits Questionnaire (CAT-Q)**

    • Statements: 25

    • Purpose: This tool measures how much effort an individual puts into camouflaging or masking autistic traits in social settings. Higher scores often correlate with lower scores on other autism assessments due to the energy spent suppressing traits.

    • What It Measures: Social camouflaging, masking behaviors, and the impact of adapting to neurotypical norms.

  • Empathy Quotient (EQ)**

    • Statements: 60

    • Purpose: The EQ assesses emotional empathy, focusing on the ability to tune into and understand others’ emotions and thoughts. It’s particularly helpful in exploring social cognition and emotional awareness in autistic individuals.

    • What It Measures: Emotional empathy and social cognition.

    Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS–20)**

    • Statements: 20

    • Purpose: The TAS–20 assesses difficulties in identifying and describing emotions, a key component of alexithymia often associated with autism and ADHD.

    • What It Measures: Emotional awareness and introspection.

    Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness – Version 2 (MAIA–2)**

    • Statements: 37

    • Purpose: The MAIA–2 evaluates how attuned an individual is to internal bodily signals (interoception). It’s especially relevant for people with alexithymia, sensory processing differences, anxiety, and trauma histories.

    • What It Measures: Emotional-body connection, distress tolerance, self-regulation, and awareness of internal signals.

  • Executive Skills Questionnaire – Revised (ESQ-R)**

    • Statements: 48

    • Purpose: The ESQ–R expands on the original ESQ by offering a more nuanced assessment of executive functioning in adults. It breaks skills into distinct domains for clearer intervention planning.

    • What It Measures: Task initiation, emotional regulation, organization, time management, and response inhibition.

    Repetitive Behaviors Questionnaire (RBQ–3)**

    • Statements: 20

    • Purpose: This questionnaire assesses restricted and repetitive behaviors, one of the core diagnostic criteria for autism. It distinguishes between behaviors related to insistence on sameness (IS) and repetitive motor behaviors (RMB).

    • What It Measures:

    • Insistence on Sameness (IS): Preference for routines and resistance to change

    • Repetitive Motor Behaviors (RMB): Actions like rocking, flapping, or ritualistic behavior

Self-Assessments Outside of NovoPsych

    • Statements: 20

    • Purpose: The MQ explores monotropism, a tendency to focus intensely on specific interests or stimuli. This can provide insight into how individuals prioritize attention and manage focus.

    • What It Measures: Attention focus, difficulty shifting focus, immersive engagement, and interest patterns.

    Complete the Self-Assessment:https://dlcincluded.github.io/MQ/

    • Questions: 121

    • Purpose: While not as rigorously validated as other tools, the Aspie Quiz provides detailed insights into autism-related traits. It is widely regarded as a favorite among autistic individuals due to its rich data visualization and comprehensive approach.

    • What It Measures: Autism-related traits, sensory sensitivities, and systemizing tendencies.

    Complete the Self-Assessment:  Aspie Quiz

Optional Body Doubling Support

If getting started and/or staying focused on forms feels difficult, you’re welcome to request to schedule a body doubling session.

This is a virtual co-working session where I’ll simply be present while you work through the assessments or forms. You can ask questions as they arise or just have someone alongside you as quiet support to complete the assessments.