Autism Assessment & Diagnostic Evaluation
In-office in Washington, DC's Friendship Heights
How we can helpAn autism assessment (also called an autism evaluation, autism diagnostic testing, or autistic testing) is a structured process that looks at how you or your child thinks, communicates, and interacts with the world, and whether those patterns meet the criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It combines a clinical interview with standardized testing tools, all reviewed by a licensed psychologist trained in autism evaluation. The goal isn't to hand you a label. It's to help you understand what's actually going on, so you can move forward with a real plan.
Autism can show up differently in a preschooler, a teenager, and an adult who's spent years wondering why certain things feel harder than they should. That's why your assessment is never a one-size-fits-all checklist. Although the gold-standard tests for diagnosing autism are used, each assessment is built around your specific concerns, your history, and the questions you actually want answered.
What Neuropsychological Testing for Autism Involves
Your autism diagnostic evaluation typically starts with a detailed clinical interview covering developmental history, current concerns, and daily functioning at home, school, or work. From there, you'll complete 1–2 days of standardized neuropsychological testing, often including tools like the ADOS-2, along with measures of cognitive functioning, social communication, and adaptive skills.
Once testing wraps up, your psychologist writes a full report and walks you through it in a feedback session. You'll leave that meeting with a clear diagnosis (or clear answers about why a diagnosis doesn't fit), plus practical recommendations you can actually use, not just clinical language you have to decode on your own.
Who Gets an Autism Assessment, and Why
An autism assessment isn't limited to any one age or life stage. People come to testing for a lot of different reasons.
Autism Test for Kids
Maybe your child isn't hitting certain developmental milestones. Maybe a teacher or pediatrician suggested an autism spectrum disorder test. Early identification opens the door to services and school supports while your child's brain is still developing rapidly, which is often when intervention makes the biggest difference.
Diagnostic Evaluation For Autism For Students And Teens
Older kids sometimes fly under the radar for years, especially if they're bright or good at masking their struggles in the classroom. If your teenager is dealing with social friction, anxiety, meltdowns after school, or a sudden drop in academic performance, an autism test for kids can explain what's driving the difficulty and support the development of an IEP or 504 plan if one is needed.
Adult Testing for Autism
A growing number of people seek an adult autism test after watching their own child go through the process and recognizing familiar patterns in themselves. Others are prompted by a difficult stretch at work, a relationship that keeps hitting the same wall, or a lifetime of feeling like they're translating a language everyone else already speaks. If you've wondered whether neuro testing for autism in adults is worth pursuing, know that a full evaluation goes further than any online screener, and it's the only path to an official adult autism diagnosis.
This is especially true for women and other historically under-diagnosed groups, whose autism often involves more social masking and gets missed or misdiagnosed well into adulthood. If you're looking for an autism test for women specifically, you might feel more comfortable working with a female practitioner. It can help to know that there are women psychologists on Maven's clinical team, which often makes it easier to speak openly about experiences that may have gone unrecognized for years.
Whatever brought you here, you don't need a specific reason to ask for an evaluation. Curiosity and a desire for clarity are reason enough.
Why Families and Adults Choose Maven for Autism Assessment
Bigger testing centers can feel like a factory line: intake, testing, a generic report, done. Maven Psychology Group works differently. You're matched with a psychologist who takes the time to understand your specific situation, not just your test scores.
As Maven's testing psychologists also work as school psychologists, they have firsthand experience with what's needed to support your child in an educational setting. In a broader sense, this background also helps translate feedback for other settings, like an employer or a partner, so the recommendations are ones you can actually put to use. It was never meant to be the whole story, and your feedback session will treat it that way.
Currently accepting new clientsMeet Your Autism Assessment Specialist
Dr. Hannah Sugarman, PhD
Licensed Psychologist in MD, Licensed School Psychologist in VA, Licensed Psychology Associate in DC
Dr. Sugarman brings deep, hands-on experience to autism testing and is currently accepting new clients. She works out of Maven's Washington, DC office in Friendship Heights, an easy walk from the Friendship Heights Metro station.
Dr. Sugarman routinely conducts comprehensive autism evaluations alongside her work as a school psychologist with Fairfax County Public Schools. That dual perspective means your feedback session doesn't just explain a diagnosis, it connects the dots between what's happening at home and what's happening in the classroom.
For adult clients or those with a later life diagnosis, Dr. Sugarman can help you understand the outcome of your assessment and how it can be implemented into your work life, volunteer roles, relationships, or at home.
Frequently Asked Questions About Autistic Testing
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Testing starts with a simple call or message to schedule a consultation. You don't need a doctor's referral to reach out. From there, you'll complete a clinical interview and standardized testing with a licensed psychologist, followed by a feedback session where your results and next steps are explained in plain language.
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Only a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist, or other qualified clinician trained in autism spectrum disorder can provide an official diagnosis, and it typically requires a full evaluation rather than a screening questionnaire alone. At Maven, child and adult autism diagnoses are made by licensed psychologists using standardized, evidence-based tools.
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No. Tools like the RAADS-R and the self-report questionnaires on sites like Embrace Autism can be a useful starting point if you're asking yourself "do I have autism," but they're screening tools, not diagnostic ones. A formal evaluation involves a clinical interview and standardized testing administered by a licensed psychologist, and it's the only way to receive an official diagnosis.
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Often, yes. Autism in women and other historically under-diagnosed groups tends to involve more social masking, which can delay diagnosis well into adulthood. If standard descriptions of autism have never quite matched your experience, that's a common reason people seek psychological testing for autism in adults.
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"High-functioning autism" is a term people search and use often, but it isn't an official clinical category. Autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed along a range of support needs rather than a single functioning label. Your evaluation will describe your specific strengths and challenges instead of relying on a broad, informal term.
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Autism can often be reliably identified as early as age 2, though evaluations happen at every age from toddlerhood through the teenage years. If a pediatrician, teacher, or your own observation raises a concern, it's reasonable to ask about testing regardless of your child's age.
Autism Assessment in Washington, DC
Maven Psychology Group offers in-person autism assessment and other psychological evaluations at its Friendship Heights office in Washington, DC. If you're ready to get real answers instead of more questions, reach out to schedule a free consultation.