Can a Masters Level Clinician Diagnose Autism and ADHD in Adults in California?
Yes. The scope of practice for master’s level clinicians in California includes diagnosis and assessment of conditions in common practice, ethical codes written by professional organizations, and as defined by law (see references below).
Our Qualifications
At Nor Cal Rural Therapy, our licensed clinicians’ supervised experience and education included training in assessment, psychological testing, and diagnosis. We each have over a decade of professional experience working Autistics and ADHDers as well as lived-experience and personal relationships throughout our lifetimes. In addition, BT has had a special interest in Autism, ADHD, AuDHD, and Neurodivergent Burnout for more than 5 years, as well as a lifelong special interest in all forms of neurodivergence.
What Masters Level Clinicians CAN Do
We provide diagnostic assessment and psychoeducation. This means we use interviews and diagnostic tests to learn about your emotions, history, and behavior to determine which diagnosis best describes your experience. We provide education about what the results mean and connect it to your experience. We hope this self understanding will support you in developing increased self-compassion, self-advocacy, emotional regulation, and understanding of relationship challenges. If your primary concerns are emotional, social, and mental health or trauma-related, our services are for you.
Types of Autism/ADHD Assessment Our Master’s Level Mental Health Clinicians CANNOT Do
Assessment of Children
In a document regarding the assessment of children, the California Department of Developmental Services (CA DDS) outlines guidelines for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Diagnosis (2002). Primary Care Providers, Schools, and Regional Centers are designated as the institutions appropriate for screening and assessing ASD with a multidisciplinary team of providers specializing in ASD. Schools and Regional Centers usually interpret this by requiring a medical doctor, psychologist, or neuropsychologist specializing in ASD for an assessment to qualify for Regional Center services or an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Due to advancement in understanding of different presentations of ASD since 2002, adult diagnosis is not considered by this document.
Neuropsychological Testing
Neuropsychological testing is focused on cognitive functioning, usually in relation to things like Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Stroke, and Dementia. Neuropsychological testing includes things like intelligence testing, testing for learning disabilities, and cognitive testing. If your concerns are more focused on cognitive challenges like memory, problem solving, attention, or speech, these are not within our scope of practice, and we recommend consultation with a provider with the appropriate qualifications for these concerns.
You can learn more about the difference between neuropsychological testing and psychological testing here.
We Will Refer You To Another Provider When We Determine That What You Need Is Outside of Our Scope
This will happen during the intake process if you want your assessment for a purpose that typically requires neuropsychological testing, a medical assessment, or other service outside of our scope of practice as psychotherapists.
Recommendations to contact other providers will be included with your assessment results if we suspect that there are conditions that need further attention we cannot provide such as auditory processing disorder, sensory processing disorder, cognitive challenges due to brain injury, or chronic health conditions.
References
Masters Level Scope of Practice Diagnosing ADHD & Autism - Thanks to NeuroAbundant for this summary including excerpts from relevant statutes.
Who Are LPCCs? and Scope of Practice from the California Association for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (CALPCC)
Scope of Practice for LMFTs from California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
Scope of Practice for LCSWs from the California Society for Clinical Social Work
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Best Practices for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment - Californian Department of Developmental Services (CA DDS)
