Why Traditional Assessments Aren’t Telling You What You Need to Know

“Stop comparing us to neurotypical development.”

That powerful quote from Susan Golubock, a retired autistic occupational therapist, stopped me in my tracks during this week’s conversation.

We’ve all been trained to use standardized assessments. But what if those tools are giving us the wrong information—or only part of the picture?

As a speech-language pathologist, I’ve sat across from clients who score low on paper but show me something completely different in real life. Motivation. Curiosity. Strengths that don’t fit into a test form.

In this week’s vlog, Susan and I talk about what’s missing from traditional autism assessments—and why observation, self-awareness, and agency should be the starting point.

If you’ve ever felt that test scores don’t reflect the whole child or adult in front of you, this one’s for you.

👉 Watch the full video to hear what we’re doing instead—and why it’s working.