Children with neurodevelopmental disorders can experience difficulties with language and speech, motor skills, behaviour, memory, learning, or other neurological functions. There is usually a strong genetic predisposition to have one of the neurodevelopmental disorders.

While the symptoms and behaviours of neurodevelopmental disabilities often change or evolve as a child grows older, some disabilities persist into adulthood.

Diagnosing Autism in Adults: What to expect?

The diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Adults needs careful clinical assessment by a specialist, incorporating informant history especially of the early developmental period. The assessment is also aided by self rating screening questionnaires, but the diagnosis is ultimately clinical and needs to synthesize different perspectives, clinical observations and exclusion of other psychological conditions which may exhibit similar features as in ASD.

While the symptoms and behaviours of neurodevelopmental disabilities often change or evolve as a child grows older, some disabilities persist into adulthood.

Having an ASD/ASC means that the person has a different way of understanding others and the world around them. ASD/ASD is a lifelong developmental disorder, not an illness or disease so there is no cure as such but there are many ways that the difficulties can be managed.

The assessment process would require you and someone that has known you since childhood to complete several questionnaires beforehand.

Informants can be helped to complete the questionnaires with the aid of childhood pictures, school reports and early health records.

Please allow time to complete the questionnaires and if not sure about any question, just state not sure or cannot recall.

The assessment takes 2 hours and family members are welcome to attend at least for a part of it. This at present is being arranged virtually. The assessment would focus on general psychiatric conditions as well as ASD. At the end, an outcome and recommendations for management would be shared and discussed.

A full assessment report will be provided following the assessment. The report may contain treatment recommendations for some of the difficulties that you are experiencing such as medication for associated anxiety or depression and suggestions for therapeutic interventions such as coaching and cognitive bevahioural therapy.