I’m autistic and was formally diagnosed with level 1 autism a few years ago... and here’s my # 1 piece of advice for anyone pursuing an autism evaluation as an adult, ESPECIALLY if you’re high masking...

Do NOT go into the evaluation without first reading and understanding the autism criteria and writing down every example you can think of from your life for each one...

Examples from your childhood, especially. 

There is no such thing as too many examples. 

Unfortunately, there are many practitioners who don’t understand high masking autism... probably more than those who do, sadly...

Hopefully, you’ll get lucky, and the first person you talk to will be current in their understanding of autism. 

But in case they aren’t, chances are high you won’t be able to convince them that what they know about autism is outdated...

But it will be much harder for them to convince you that you’re crazy for thinking you’re autistic and for pursuing an autism evaluation in the first place. And that makes a HUGE difference.

I say this from personal experience. My first conversation with a practitioner was basically him telling me that I need to have had a speech delay and flap my arms to be autistic. Had I not gone into that conversation with a decent understanding of autism, I would have walked away confused and probably embarrassed. And I for SURE would have not continued my pursuit of an evaluation.

So if you’re planning on pursuing an evaluation, I hope you take my advice and do research on the autism criteria and how it’s diagnosed where you live so when you have your first conversations with a practitioner, they won’t be able to gaslight you.