What Agencies Diagnose Autism in Adults?
CALLER: I am tired of hearing my mother and my aunt telling me I probably have autism. They think that some of my personality quirks are similar to some personality characteristics or behaviors they have read about, or maybe they did an online survey; I don’t know. Is there a way for a 25-year-old to get evaluated? I have insurance through my work; will that cover it? I’m in Sumner County, but transportation is not a problem.
PATHFINDER: Great question!
This is not an unusual question for Pathfinder. You are not alone in wondering if you may have autism, or if somehow what you call your “personality quirks” are actually indicative of a developmental disability that got missed when you were a child. The good news is that there are agencies in each region of Tennessee which can evaluate for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis in an adult.
It probably does not matter if you have private insurance through your employer, as this type of evaluation is rarely covered by a commercial insurance plan for an adult. But agencies do take private pay. Some commercial or employer sponsored insurance companies do not cover the evaluation for a child either. Although Pathfinder does not have insurance panels to see specific details on what your insurance covers, we know that in general, developmental/psychological testing is often covered by TennCare for a child. To find out the details for your coverage, call the customer service phone number, usually found on your insurance card, or utilize their online database. Or you can talk with one of the agencies, and they may be able to tell you whether a specific service is covered.
In Middle Tennessee, Athena Consulting and Psychological Services, and Sabin Behavioral Health are two agencies which do autism diagnostic evaluations for adults. Here are links to their informational pages in the Pathfinder database. For other agencies in other areas, call Pathfinder.