How to get an autism diagnosis as an adult — entirely online.
No referral. No waitlist. No months of phone tag with clinics that only see children. Here is the complete process, from first click to finished report, and honest answers to the questions adults actually ask before starting.
The short answer
To get an autism diagnosis as an adult, you need a comprehensive evaluation with a licensed psychologist — and if that psychologist is authorized under PSYPACT, the entire process can happen over secure video. In this practice it works in five steps: a free 15-minute consultation, secure intake forms completed at your own pace, a scheduled 3–5 hour evaluation session over HIPAA-secure video, and a comprehensive written report about a week later, reviewed together in a one-hour feedback session. No physician referral is required, and you do not need parents or childhood records to begin.
Step by step
Step 1 — A free 15-minute consultation
A brief video call with Dr. Burgoyne to make sure the evaluation is the right fit, answer your questions, and confirm your state's eligibility under PSYPACT. There is no obligation and nothing to prepare. Many people find this call is the first time they say the question out loud; that alone is worth fifteen minutes.
Step 2 — Deposit and intake forms
A $500 deposit reserves your evaluation. You then receive secure online history forms and standardized rating scales, with up to a week to complete them at your own pace. A candid note: self-report questionnaires can be genuinely difficult — how readily an answer comes often depends on the day and the context. Finding them challenging is common and entirely understandable. There is no need to answer perfectly; your responses become the foundation explored together, in depth, during the evaluation itself.
Step 3 — Scheduling
Once your forms are in, the evaluation session is confirmed around your calendar — designed for people with demanding professional schedules, not around clinic hours.
Step 4 — The evaluation session
A 3–5 hour digital face-to-face session on a HIPAA-secure healthcare platform, with breaks. This is not a rapid screening; it is a thorough structured clinical interview and cross-battery assessment in which your form answers become the starting point for understanding your real, lived experience — your developmental history, sensory world, communication, and the cost of the adaptations you have built. A full differential is part of every evaluation, because ADHD, anxiety, OCD, and trauma can resemble and co-occur with autism.
Step 5 — Report and feedback session
Your comprehensive written report is ready about a week after the evaluation. You then meet with Dr. Burgoyne for a one-hour feedback consultation to walk through every finding and answer every question. If criteria are met, the report includes a formal diagnosis and documentation that supports workplace accommodations under the ADA. If they are not, you receive the same depth of explanation of what actually accounts for the pattern — a real answer either way.
Is an online autism assessment legitimate?
For this kind of evaluation, yes — and the reason is specific, not hand-waving. The core of a serious adult evaluation is a structured clinical interview and standardized measures, not an in-room observation task. A conversation loses nothing essential over secure video: you meet the same psychologist, complete the same instruments, and receive the same comprehensive report as an in-office client. Legally, the evaluation is conducted under PSYPACT, the interstate compact that authorizes licensed psychologists to practice telepsychology across participating states (Dr. Burgoyne holds APIT Mobility #24142). What matters is not the room; it is the rigor of the process and the qualifications of the person conducting it.
Who can be seen: adults in 40+ PSYPACT-participating states. Your state's current status is confirmed at your free consultation. In Colorado, evaluations are conducted through the Littleton office at mindingmyownpsychology.com.
What you do and don't need
You do not need a referral. You do not need childhood report cards, and you do not need your parents — many adults are evaluated without childhood informants, with developmental history reconstructed through structured interview and any records you happen to have. Collateral input from a partner or long-time friend can add useful perspective and is welcome, but it is optional and never required. What you need is three to five hours, a private space, and a willingness to answer honestly rather than impressively.
What it costs
The comprehensive evaluation is a flat $2,000, paid out of pocket: the $500 deposit after your free consultation, and $1,500 on the morning of your evaluation. Insurance is not accepted, which is a deliberate choice with real benefits for confidentiality; HSA and FSA funds may be used. The full reasoning and what is included are covered in the cost guide.
The process starts with fifteen free minutes.
An honest conversation about whether an evaluation makes sense for you, and whether your state qualifies. No referral, no waitlist, no pressure.
Booking opens the secure SimplePractice scheduler of our parent practice, Minding My Own Psychological Assessments, PLLC — request any open time for your free 15-minute video consultation.