Hello. I was hoping for a little insight into the assessment process.
I am AS, and my fiancee and I are pretty certain that our 4-year-old daughter is high-functioning. We are on the list for an assessment, but my fiancee has a grave concern.
Girls are notorious for masking their autism, i.e. mimicking those around them in order to fit in and avoid being exposed as autistic. Our daughter runs the gamut of emotions and states of being at home, from being exceptionally hyperactive and noisy to ending up in the rage loop if something aggrieved her. Anywhere else, she can straighten up and fly right with some of the best of them.
The concern is this: are autism assessors trained and/or instructed to be on the lookout for masking? We fear that our daughter would mask at the assessment and any of the more obvious symptoms would be masked, causing her to (metaphorically) fly under the radar.
If anyone can provide personal experience and would be willing to provide some assurance, it would be much appreciated.
