Adults who are seeking an evaluation for autism may face a number of barriers. Those barriers may include finding experienced clinicians who can appropriately evaluate older adolescents and adults and those clinicians having a reliable measure to make a diagnosis. A new project, led by Zachary Warren, Ph.D., executive director for TRIAD, the autism institute at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND), is aimed at addressing the barriers adults find when seeking an evaluation for autism.
PHOTO: Headshot of Dr. Zachary Warren, executive director for VKC TRIAD. He is a white man with glasses, short brown hair, and a blue button-down shirt.
Adults who are seeking an evaluation for autism may face a number of barriers. Those barriers may include finding experienced clinicians who can appropriately evaluate older adolescents and adults and those clinicians having a reliable measure to make a diagnosis.
A new project, led by Zachary Warren, PhD, director of Developmental Medicine and executive director for TRIAD, the autism institute at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (TN IDDRC, UCEDD, LEND), is aimed at addressing the barriers adults find when seeking an evaluation for autism.
The primary goal of the project, entitled Novel Tool Development for Autism Identification in Adults: Tele-ASD Diagnostic Assessment Tool for Adolescents/Adults (TADA), is to develop and test a telehealth assessment tool and procedure that will allow more adolescents and adults to get an accurate autism diagnosis in a timely manner. Other key team members include Hannah Hartnett, PsyD, NCSP, assistant professor of Pediatrics in Developmental Medicine at Vanderbilt; Ryan Coleman, PhD, assistant professor of Pediatrics in Developmental Medicine at Vanderbilt; LeAnna Kehl, PhD, assistant professor of Pediatrics; and Caitlin Stone, PhD, assistant in Pediatrics in Developmental Medicine.
“Within our collective experiences we have seen that the preponderance of resources for autism are often aimed at supporting young children. However, adults are often missed within those same considerations,” said Hartnett. “This includes diagnostic tools. One prevailing theme we have often seen for our families includes difficulty with accessing resources (whether that be access to treatment or an initial diagnosis). As such, our group has aimed to remove barriers which may impede families from receiving a diagnosis by allowing a diagnosis to be done over telehealth. Our group has a successful track record of doing this for younger children and this project is the first step in replicating that same process for adults.”
The effort, supported by the Department of Defense (DOD), aligns with the DOD’s long-term objective of improving the diagnosis of autism across the life span. Autistic adults, including autistic researchers, have been directly involved in helping develop the evaluation tool. They, along with international experts in autistic adult assessment, community clinicians, and a review of clinical records, have helped identify specific behaviors and traits that are indicative of autism in adults. The team also used computational strategies in devising the assessment measure.
The team tested the tool with a sample group of autistic adults to check for the feasibility, the potential clinical value, and possible concerns. Those results were used to modify the tele-assessment, and now the team is piloting the revised tool to assess a new group of adults who have been referred for an autism assessment. The data from this sample group will allow the team to evaluate the psychometric validity and to see if the tool leads to accurate diagnostic decision-making or needs revisions. Then clinicians in our region who currently offer autism assessments will pilot the new tool. By using a telehealth assessment, the issues of limited provider availability or geography could be mitigated.
“An additional challenge we have seen for adults is that within the history of autistic tool development, autistic individuals are not consulted and allowed the opportunity to provide feedback on tools which are being developed,” Hartnett said. “Our tool sought to change that by engaging with autistic individuals throughout our tool creation process. Finally, at the conclusion of this project, we hope to make this tool readily available and free of charge in order to increase further access to supports and services for autistic individuals.”
Adults interested in being part of the research and receiving an evaluation are welcome to contact the study coordinator, Amy Swanson, at [email protected]. She will be able to say whether the project is accepting new referrals at that time.
Often people wonder why an adult has the desire to be evaluated for autism, thinking that such a diagnosis doesn’t seem necessary at that point. But for many older teens and adults, learning they are autistic is vitally important to their sense of self, their identity, and their ability to understand why certain things come so easily for them and certain things are so very difficult. Getting an autism diagnosis, even as an adult, may grant an individual access to needed accommodations or supports and services. Making the process of evaluation and diagnosis more accessible may enhance the lives of countless autistic adults.
In addition to the project members listed above, the team includes:
- Primary current research team: Amy Weitlauf, PhD, Rachel Hundley, PhD, Amy Swanson, MA
- Initial tool development and statistics: Alison Vehorn, MS, and Joshua Wade
- Autism database contributors (provided data from their work to include in initial tool development): Tiffany Woynaroski PhD, CCC-SLP, and Jacob Feldman, PhD
- Research assistants: Gabija Zilinskaite, and Gabi Castillo Martinez
View original article: https://notables.vkcsites.org/2026/02/new-adult-tele-diagnostic-project-creating-an-assessment-with-help-of-autistic-people/
