A specialty focus
Understanding Autism
When you're wondering whether your child might be autistic, what you're really after is a clear picture — how they think, communicate, and move through the world. It's one of the areas I look at most closely, across the full range of what's going on, so the answer gives you something concrete to work with.
The signs parents notice
The child who wants to talk about one thing — in depth, at length, at any available moment. The one who knows exactly how the morning routine goes and needs it to go that way. The student who reads the room differently than their peers do, or who finds group projects exhausting in a way they can't quite explain.
Sensory things come up too: textures, sounds, or transitions that feel much louder than they should. Or a student who doesn't seem to notice things that bother everyone else. The patterns are real — they just don't always look the way people expect autism to look. Some students, especially girls and strong compensators, mask their challenges well enough that the signs show up late, or get read as social anxiety instead.
Autism assessment is available in person at my Pasadena office, in-home in the Los Angeles area for an additional fee, or remotely over a secure telehealth platform for any student in California.
The bigger picture
It's rarely just autism
Autism doesn't usually show up alone. ADHD, anxiety, and OCD frequently travel with it — and they change what a student needs. A child who is also dealing with ADHD attention and impulsivity needs a different kind of support plan than one whose attention is steady. Anxiety that looks like rigidity reads differently once you know it's anxiety.
Giftedness adds another layer. In twice-exceptional students, intellectual strengths can mask autism traits for years — a student who compensates well enough to get by often doesn't get identified until the demands outpace the coping strategies.
A quick yes-or-no on a single label rarely tells a family what to do next. Looking at the whole picture — autism alongside whatever is traveling with it — is what turns an answer into specific steps you can take at home and at school.
How I assess for it
How the assessment looks at autism
Autism shows up differently in every child, so I look at it across the whole picture rather than from a single angle. A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment looks at:
Social communication
How your child connects, reads social cues, and shares attention.
Sensory & patterns
Sensory sensitivities, routines, and the patterns you see across settings.
Language & cognition
Language, reasoning, and how your child takes in the world.
Everyday functioning
How your child manages the ordinary demands of a day.
Observation carries particular weight in an autism evaluation. Alongside standardized cognitive and academic measures, rating scales, and detailed developmental-history interviews with you and your child, I use sensory objects to explore sensory sensitivities directly, and the MIGDAS-2 — a structured interview and observation instrument built to capture nuanced social-communication patterns in a naturalistic way.
It's one evaluation, not a standalone autism test.See how the comprehensive assessment works
Common questions about autism
What ages do you assess?
I work with students of any age, as long as they're currently in school — from about age 6 on through K-12, college, and beyond. If you're not sure whether your student is a fit, reach out and we'll talk it through.
Does autism often come with other differences?
Very often, yes. Autism frequently co-occurs with ADHD, anxiety, and OCD. In twice-exceptional students, giftedness can layer on top of all of that. A single-label test won't catch what's hiding underneath — which is why I assess the whole picture in one evaluation.
What does an autism evaluation actually involve?
The evaluation looks at social communication, sensory and behavioral patterns, cognitive and language abilities, attention, and learning. It combines standardized measures, parent and teacher rating scales, detailed interviews about your child's developmental history, and — because observation matters especially here — direct exploration with sensory objects and the MIGDAS-2, a structured observation and interview instrument designed to capture nuanced social-communication patterns. At the end, you get a clear written report explaining what was found, how it fits together, and what it means for school, support, and next steps.
Can you actually diagnose autism, or only identify it for school purposes?
Both. As a Licensed Educational Psychologist, I'm qualified to diagnose autism spectrum disorder using DSM-5 criteria — a clinical diagnosis. I also provide recommendations regarding special-education eligibility for autism. So the evaluation serves both roles: a formal clinical diagnosis, and guidance for educational identification and support planning.
What should I understand about an autism diagnosis — what changes at school and at home?
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference in how the brain is wired — a different way of experiencing and interacting with the world, not a deficit. Alongside the challenges, many autistic students have real strengths: attention to detail, deep focus on interests, unique problem-solving. With that understanding, school and home can put concrete supports in place — priming for transitions, offering choices, building in downtime, engaging preferred activities, and adjusting demands to manageable levels — so your child can engage meaningfully and confidently in both settings.
Will schools and colleges accept the report?
Yes. The written report is the documentation schools, IEP teams, colleges, and disability services offices use to determine eligibility and build accommodations. I write reports that meet those standards and hold up in educational settings.
Other areas the assessment covers
Twice-Exceptional & Gifted
For gifted students who also have a learning, attention, or developmental difference — assessed for both, so nothing is missed.
ADHD & Executive Functioning
A close look at attention, focus, and the planning-and-follow-through skills that shape how school actually goes.
Learning Differences
Assessment for dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia — the differences behind reading, writing, and math struggles.
Let's look at the whole picture.
A free 20-minute consultation is a good place to start — enough to understand what you're seeing and whether an autism assessment makes sense as a next step.
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