Psychiatric Care with an Autism Diagnosis
We do not carry out autism testing. What we do treat is the anxiety, depression and ADHD that frequently accompany it, across Georgia.
What We Can and Cannot Do
Formal autism diagnosis usually involves structured assessment tools and often a multidisciplinary team. We do not provide that and will not pretend otherwise. What we do is treat what comes with it.
What We Treat Alongside It
Anxiety is extremely common in autistic people and frequently more disabling day to day than the autism itself. So is ADHD, which co-occurs often enough that evaluating for one without considering the other is a mistake.
If you are seeking a formal diagnosis, our medical team can refer you to a psychologist or a specialist assessment service. If you already have one, or strongly suspect it, we can treat what sits alongside.
What Sits Alongside Autism
Usually more disabling day to day than the autism itself, and usually treatable.
Anxiety
Extremely common, and frequently the thing that makes ordinary days unmanageable. It responds to the same treatment it does in anyone else, and it is treated here.
ADHD
Co-occurs often, and could not formally be diagnosed alongside autism until 2013. A generation of autistic adults were never assessed for it at all. We evaluate for it.
Depression
Often reached late, partly because low mood gets attributed to the autism rather than treated as its own condition, which it is. It responds to treatment as usual.
Autism and ADHD Together
The two co-occur in a substantial proportion of people and were not allowed to be diagnosed together until 2013. A generation of autistic adults were consequently never assessed for ADHD at all.
We evaluate for ADHD and prescribe both stimulant and non-stimulant medication where appropriate, including for people with an autism diagnosis.
Meet Dr. Ashar N.
Medical Director. DNP, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC. Board-certified as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and as a Family Nurse Practitioner, with a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Treats adults, teenagers and children from six: evaluation and medication management for depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, OCD, PTSD, sleep and alcohol use disorder.
Care at Ridge Way is delivered by our clinical team, licensed in Georgia and working with physician oversight. Your history, medication response and treatment decisions are documented in one chart, so another member of the team can review what has already been tried.
What to Expect from the First Visit
Unhurried. Tell us what you need to make the appointment workable and we will do it.
What Has Been Happening
What is actually costing you day to day, usually the anxiety or the attention, not the autism.
What Else Is Involved
Sleep, mood, sensory load and any existing assessment or report. Bring documentation if you can.
What You Leave With
A plan for the co-occurring conditions, and a referral for formal assessment if you need one.
Every Visit After
Shorter visits, adjusted as needed. Side effects get more care here, and that gets said aloud.
What We Treat, and What We Refer Out
We provide psychiatric evaluation and medication management. Knowing the limits before you book saves you an appointment spent finding them out.
Formal autism assessment needs a psychologist or a specialist service. Ask, and our medical team can refer you.
Care Available Here
- Treatment of co-occurring anxiety, depression and ADHD
- Stimulant and non-stimulant medication where appropriate
- Ongoing follow-up, in person or by telehealth
- Referral toward formal assessment
Services We Refer Elsewhere
- Formal autism assessment and testing
- ABA and other autism-specific therapies
- Speech and occupational therapy
- Psychological or neuropsychological testing
Autism Questions
Where do I go for a formal autism assessment?
A psychologist or a specialist assessment service. Ask us, and our medical team can refer you. There is often a wait, which is worth starting sooner rather than later.
Is medication used for autism itself?
No medication treats autism. Medication treats co-occurring conditions such as anxiety, depression and ADHD, which is a meaningful distinction rather than a technicality.
Do you provide ABA or similar therapies?
No. We provide psychiatric medication management only. Our full scope of care.
Can you treat ADHD if I am autistic?
Yes. The two co-occur frequently and we prescribe both stimulant and non-stimulant medication where appropriate. ADHD treatment.
I can’t find an autism-informed psychiatrist near me. Can Ridge Way still help?
Yes. We do not perform autism testing, but we treat many concerns that occur alongside autism, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, mood symptoms and sleep difficulties. Telehealth appointments are available throughout Georgia, so care is within reach even when local options are limited.
What if I am in crisis?
Ridge Way is not an emergency service. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. For a mental health or suicide crisis, call or text 988, any time, or call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225. Crisis resources. For a second, independent read, NIMH’s overview of autism spectrum disorder covers the same ground.
Treat What Comes With It
You do not need a formal autism diagnosis to be treated for the anxiety, depression, ADHD or sleep problems that often come with it. An evaluation here looks at those, not at whether autism is present. Book yours today.
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