Autism Services
Autism spectrum disorders are multifactorial and children can present with a wide range of strengths and challenges.
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The goal of an autism diagnostic evaluation is to better understand the behaviors raising concern for autism, explore a child’s strengths and challenges, document a clinical diagnosis (if appropriate, using the most up-to-date criteria and measurement tools), and to use this information to guide intervention planning and services.
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Autism evaluations are offered for children ages 5 to 14 years old.
Autism Diagnostic Evaluation
Autism evaluations begin with a clinical interview with parents/caregivers, in order to establish an in-depth understanding of your child’s developmental and medical history, presence of behaviors and symptoms that can be associated with autism, and to understand the pervasiveness of those symptoms. A second appointment will be scheduled to complete direct assessments with your child, including an estimate of intellectual reasoning and language abilities. This assessment session will include gold-standard tools to observe behaviors associated with an autism spectrum disorder (such as the ADOS-2 and/or CARS2), and can include screening of common comorbid concerns, such as intellectual disability, language impairments, attention issues, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms. Collateral information is also gathered from parents, teachers, and other professionals (e.g., preschool teachers and therapists), via standardized questionnaires.​ This evaluation includes the intake interview, testing session(s), a feedback appointment with caregivers, and a comprehensive written report.
$2,500
Additional Cognitive and/or Academic Evaluation
If a child completes an autism spectrum disorder evaluation (described above) and is also in need of more extensive cognitive or academic assessment, a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment component can be added. This supplemental evaluation type is most appropriate for determining the presence of an academic learning or other developmental disorder, and understanding the interactions between learning, cognitive abilities, and emotional/behavioral factors. The appropriate assessment tools are determined based on individual need, but generally include tests of attention, executive control skills, visual-spatial processing, memory, fine-/graphomotor skills, and/or academic abilities. This additional information will be integrated into the conceptualization, feedback, and report of the autism assessment.
An additional $1,500