Try to keep in mind that this will be just one professional’s opinion, guided by the billing codes and iron hand of an insurance conglomerate of which she is under contract. There’s a lot going on behind the scenes that has nothing to do with you; it’s our messed up system.

Hint: if it doesn’t go as you hope, it’s entirely possible to go the private pay route with a diagnostician of your choosing, vetted so you know they have experience with late diagnosis and women. Unfortunately, out of all the women I know with late diagnosis, they’ve all been out of a small constellation of professionals who purposely do not take insurance. I know it’s to save on admin red tape, but also if they were under contact they’d only be diagnosing kids who could then enter the billable ABA pipeline.

I sincerely hope you don’t get the runaround. Having dealt with this at a very late age and already pushed back in the healthcare system for other issues, this is just reality in the US. I’d hate to see you or other young women not get the attention and validation - and potential services - you may need and deserve!

Navigating all of this requires workarounds and reverse engineering. What I had to pay out of pocket for diagnosis came back to me ten fold in a few years easy, as I could then take that diagnosis back to insurance who would’ve never paid for an assessment, but then they had to cover therapy (e.g. with co-occurring anxiety or a mental health code).

Anyone here - the system is front loaded to prevent diagnosis unless you’re a child, and even then it’s a nightmarish process for parents. Know your rights and push back. Or do an end run. Don’t take what’s essentially medical gaslighting as a final answer.

Best of luck -