How Neuro-Strengths-Based Autism Assessments Unlock Real Growth

Have you ever walked out of an autism assessment with pages of scores and a sinking feeling of now what?

Traditional, deficit-based autism assessments focus on what autistic individuals can’t do yet. If a child can’t tie their shoes, answer a rote social greeting, or memorize synonyms, that “deficit” becomes the next goal. But from the autistic perspective, spending years working on skills that feel boring, stressful, or meaningless leads to disengagement—not progress.

Here’s why deficit-driven goals don’t work:

• They often don’t generalize beyond the test setting.

• They create stress by piling on cognitive load.

• They miss the soft skills—like problem solving, flexibility, and self-advocacy—that actually block progress.

• They overlook deeper autistic strengths such as persistence, sensory awareness, or attention to detail.

  
  

A truly neuro-affirming autism assessment doesn’t just identify surface abilities like reading or drawing. It digs deeper, honoring the way the autistic brain works and using that knowledge to create goals that are motivating, functional, and achievable.

So what does this look like in practice? And how can you start shifting from deficit-based assessments to a strengths-based, neuro-affirming approach?

👉 That’s exactly what Susan Golubock (autistic retired Occupational Therapist) and I, Staci Neustadt (Speech-Language Pathologist & CEO of Making Sense of Autism), explore in this week’s video. We break down the four key areas every autism assessment should address: Strengths, Potential Strengths, Barriers, and Triggers.

📺 Watch the full conversation here →