You have probably been keeping quiet notes for a while: the meltdown when the schedule shifts, the way eye contact never quite lands, the same three foods on repeat. An Autism Evaluation in Monona, WI turns those scattered observations into a clear, honest answer for your child, your teen, or yourself. No referral is needed to get started.
Every evaluation opens with a baseline of cognitive, adaptive, and executive function, then narrows to the specific patterns you came in worried about. One licensed psychologist stays on the case the whole way through, using gold standard tools including the ADOS-2. Because autism is so often accompanied by ADHD or anxiety, we screen for those commonly missed conditions as a matter of course.
In Monona we often hear from parents whose child wears the same outfit daily, eats a short list of safe foods, and lines toys up rather than playing pretend. Speech may have come late, eye contact stays inconsistent, and a small change to the routine can trigger a very big reaction.
For teens, the picture often shifts to exhaustion. Busy hallways feel like sensory overload, nonverbal cues are hard to read, and social days end in a crash. Many lean hard on routine, wrestle with organization and follow through, and pour themselves into one or two intense interests.
Autism can be recognized at any age. Adults often describe years of masking, deep fatigue after even enjoyable socializing, and childhood quirks that finally make sense in hindsight. Women and people assigned female at birth are especially likely to have been missed or misdiagnosed, sometimes for decades.
We begin with an unhurried clinical interview, usually about an hour, focused on you and the person being evaluated. Your psychologist builds a full developmental history, from early milestones to how things look now at home and school. That conversation shapes which autism specific assessments will give the clearest read.
Next comes a testing battery chosen for the individual's age and presentation, typically 2 to 6 hours of in person work spread over one to two days. Parents and teachers receive questionnaires so we can see behavior across different settings. Screeners for ADHD and executive function are folded in as standard, since those so often overlap.
Every piece, test data, direct observation, and questionnaire input, is pulled into one detailed diagnostic report. If anything co occurring surfaces along the way, such as anxiety or sensory processing differences, it is documented and addressed so you leave with the complete picture rather than a fragment.
Roughly two to three weeks later you return for a feedback session. Your psychologist walks through the findings in plain terms and hands you individualized next steps: strategies for home and school, therapy resources, and accommodation guidance tailored to this specific person.
No. A referral is never required to be seen at Core Spring Diagnostics. You can reach out and schedule on your own, and we will loop in your pediatrician or another provider only if you ask us to.
A cognitive, adaptive, and executive function baseline, autism specific testing with gold standard tools like the ADOS-2, a clinical interview, caregiver questionnaires, and screening for co occurring conditions. One psychologist owns it all the way through the feedback session.
Signs can be assessed as early as 18 to 24 months, though the right timing really depends on your concerns. We evaluate children, teens, and adults at every stage of life.
It varies by person. Expect a clinical interview followed by one or more testing sessions, paced to what each individual needs, with a feedback session typically two to three weeks after testing. There are no fixed session counts.
Absolutely. Many adults come to us after a lifetime of masking, and our evaluation speaks directly to lifelong patterns, sensory sensitivities, and the experiences of women and people assigned female at birth who were missed earlier.
Call our Madison office at (608) 396 4830 and we will walk you through scheduling. No referral, no red tape, just a conversation about what you are noticing and where to begin.
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