You Don’t Have to Mask to Be Understood
For many neurodivergent individuals, the challenge isn’t the way their brain works — it’s the pressure to make it work like everyone else’s. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other neurodivergent traits often go unrecognized for years, especially in adults, women, or culturally diverse individuals. What looks like “too much” or “not enough” to others may simply be a different way of sensing, processing, and relating.
At MapleTree Psychotherapy Center in Dubai, our autism and neurodiversity assessments are designed to offer clarity without pathologizing. We approach every evaluation with respect, curiosity, and the belief that difference is not deficiency.
What We Explore Through Autism & Neurodiversity Assessments
We’re not searching for what’s “wrong.” We’re listening for what’s true — and often long overlooked.
We explore:
- Sensory sensitivities, social fatigue, or overstimulation
- Challenges with change, transitions, or unspoken social rules
- Special interests, patterns, or routines that bring comfort or focus
- Emotional intensity, shutdowns, or difficulty expressing needs
- Lifelong feelings of “not fitting in” or needing to mask
- Co-occurring traits like anxiety, ADHD, or executive function difficulties
These assessments are especially supportive for individuals who feel misunderstood or misdiagnosed, and for families wanting to understand a loved one with compassion, not correction.
Our Assessment Approach
We use a relational, respectful process grounded in emotional safety and neurodivergent-affirming care.
Our approach includes:
- Developmental and relational history, to explore how traits have shown up across life stages
- Standardized diagnostic tools, such as the RAADS, Vineland, SRS, BRIEF, ASQ, ASSQ, WAIS, WISC, and NEPSY or related scales, when appropriate
- Cultural and gender-sensitive assessment, recognizing how neurodivergence presents across diverse communities — particularly in a city like Dubai
- Collaborative feedback sessions, where findings are discussed with care, context, and space for emotion
This is not about diagnosis alone — it’s about meaning-making, self-recognition, and emotional integration.
Who These Assessments Support
We support:
- Adults questioning whether they may be on the spectrum or hold neurodivergent traits
- Adolescents struggling socially or emotionally, where ASD may be part of the picture
- Parents wanting to understand a child’s unique way of processing the world
- Women and high functioning individuals whose neurodivergence has been masked or misinterpreted
- Individuals in Dubai navigating school, work, or social life in environments that don’t reflect their neurotype
Sessions are provided in English. Translation services may be arranged as per need and availability.
You’re Not Too Much — You’re Just Unmasked
Neurodiversity isn’t a problem to solve. It’s a perspective to honor.
We offer a process that centers insight, not judgment — and welcomes you exactly as you are.
You can find a therapist, meet our team, or contact us to begin.
