Autism Assessments for Women & High-Masking Adults
You may have spent decades learning how to cope and mask. We offer neuro-affirming evaluations designed to accurately diagnose individuals that traditional assessments miss. Serving Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR in addition to telehealth options.
Autism Can Hide Behind Competence
Maybe you were the "gifted" kid, the quiet one, the people-pleaser, or the one who always seemed to be fine. Maybe you studied other people so carefully that you learned to perform being social, while going home exhausted and wondering why everything felt so much harder for you than for everyone else.
Our autism evaluations are designed for adults whose autistic traits may have been masked by intelligence, achievement, social learning, anxiety, perfectionism, or years of consciously studying how to fit in. Led by Dr. Lana Ferris, with assessments by Dr. Ferris and Dr. Martha Keith, Haven Health specializes in late-diagnosed, high-masking adults, including women, femme and queer people, and people with AuDHD and PDA profiles.
Our approach is neuro-affirming: autism is a different way of experiencing the world, not a defect to be fixed. The goal of your assessment is an accurate, validating understanding of who you are, and practical recommendations that make life work better for you.
Does This Sound Like You?
High-masking autism often looks less like the stereotype and more like a quiet, constant effort that no one else sees. Many of our clients recognize themselves in several of these:
Social Life Takes Scripts
You rehearse conversations, mirror other people's expressions, and replay interactions afterward to check what you got wrong.
Exhaustion After "Normal" Days
Work, errands, or social plans leave you drained in a way that rest doesn't seem to fix, and burnout keeps coming back.
Sensory Overwhelm
Noise, lighting, clothing textures, or crowds affect you more than they seem to affect others, even if you've learned to hide it.
A History of Other Labels
Anxiety, depression, OCD, eating disorders, or "too sensitive" explained part of your experience, but never all of it.
Deep, Intense Interests
Your passions run deep, sometimes in "acceptable" areas like books, psychology, animals, or people, so no one saw them as autistic.
Feeling Like an Outsider
You've always felt like you missed the instruction manual everyone else got, even when you appeared to fit in.
Why Traditional Assessments Miss High-Masking Autism
Autism research and diagnostic criteria were built largely on young boys. As a result, many assessments look for outward behaviors that high-masking adults have long since learned to hide or compensate for. If an evaluator only observes how you come across in a short appointment, your masking can work against you.
Women and gender-diverse people are also more likely to be socialized to accommodate others, to notice social expectations early, and to internalize their struggles rather than show them. That often leads to years of misdiagnosis, or to being told "you can't be autistic" by people who mean well.
A good assessment for high-masking adults looks beneath the surface: your developmental history, your inner experience, the effort that everyday tasks take, and what happens when the mask comes off.
Who This Assessment Is For
This isn't only for women. We assess anyone whose autistic traits may have been masked or overlooked, including:
- Women and femme people
- AFAB people, nonbinary people, and trans people
- Queer and LGBTQ+ adults
- Men with high-masking or internalized presentations
- Adults who suspect both autism and ADHD (AuDHD)
- Late-diagnosed adults in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond
How Our Evaluation Is Different
Clinicians With Lived Experience
Dr. Ferris and Dr. Keith are AuDHD clinicians who understand masking from the inside, not just from textbooks.
Tools Suited to Masked Presentations
We use validated instruments designed for adults, including those who have learned to camouflage their traits over decades.
Your Story, Not a Snapshot
We look at your full history and inner experience, not just how you present during an appointment.
Answers You Can Use
A detailed 15-25 page report and a 60-minute feedback session, with recommendations for accommodations and support.
Late Diagnosis: What Changes Afterward
For many late-diagnosed adults, an autism diagnosis reframes a lifetime of experiences. Things you blamed yourself for start to make sense. Clients often describe relief, grief for the years spent struggling without an explanation, and eventually a new kind of self-compassion.
A formal diagnosis can also open practical doors: workplace or educational accommodations, eligibility for intermittent FMLA leave and an ABLE account, and better-targeted care for co-occurring anxiety, depression, or burnout. Your report gives you documentation you can use, and the language to advocate for what you need.
Autism Assessment Pricing
Our comprehensive autism assessment is a meaningful investment in self-understanding and your future wellbeing.
Comprehensive Autism Evaluation
- Complete evaluation (5-6 hours)
- Detailed written report (15-25 pages)
- 60-minute feedback session
- Accommodations documentation
- Follow-up support
Concierge Assessment
In-home assessment throughout the Portland-Vancouver metro
- In-Home Assessment — We come to you anywhere in the metro area
- Priority Booking — Skip the wait with priority scheduling
- Health Screening — Screening for MCAS, EDS, and POTS
- All Comprehensive Evaluation features included
Flexible payment options to make assessment accessible.
Submit to insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
Self-pay means your diagnosis stays completely private.
Ready to book?
Book Your AppointmentWomen & High-Masking Autism Assessment: Common Questions
Other Assessments We Offer
Every evaluation follows the same comprehensive, neuro-affirming process.
Adult Autism Assessments
Comprehensive, neuro-affirming autism evaluations for adults at our Vancouver, WA clinic, serving the Portland metro.
AuDHD & Adult ADHD
Evaluations that untangle autism and ADHD together, including high-masking ADHD that has been missed for years.
PDA-Informed Assessments
Autism evaluations that recognize demand-avoidant profiles and the drive for autonomy, for ages 8 and up.
Teen Autism Assessments
Neuro-affirming evaluations for teens that respect their autonomy and support school accommodations.
See our full autism assessment process, timeline, and pricing
Learn More About Masking and Late Diagnosis
Autism in Women: Signs of the Internalized Presentation
Discover how autism in women often hides behind an internalized presentation. Learn the true signs, the cost of masking, and how to find an accurate diagnosis.
Signs of Autism in Women: What Gets Missed
Discover the often-overlooked signs of autism in women and queer folks. Learn why traditional assessments miss high-masking autism and what to look for.
Do I Have Autism? An Adult Guide to Self-Discovery
Discover if you might be autistic with this comprehensive guide. Learn about adult traits, masking, and how to seek a neuro-affirming assessment.
Do I Have Autism? A Guide for Adults Seeking Clarity
Discover what adult autism symptoms look like in daily life, understand masking, and find clarity on your neurodivergent discovery journey.
You Don't Have to Keep Wondering
Get an assessment that sees past the mask. Book your autism assessment in person at our Vancouver, WA clinic or by telehealth.
Book Assessment