Steps for getting evaluated for 4 year old for potential autism

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter seems to have anxiety, difficulty in understanding social situations, highly focused special interests. What is the process for evaluation?

I'm not local (so can't recommend specific providers) but here's what I'd do (my dd was dx with asd at age 4).

Call your pediatrician and ask for a referral for evaluation. My ped also referred us for a hearing evaluation-dd's hearing is fine, but it's good to rule out hearing loss/hearing related stuff. We also saw a neurologist.

Then look at your insurance and call places they cover. In my area the options were a large childrens hospital, a university and a few neuropyschological groups. I got on the waitlist for all of them, and ultimately after several months was able to schedule a neuropyschological evaluation with the private group. Because I went with a place covered by insurance, it cost $200.

In the meanwhile, dd was in speech and OT. OT can be helpful, usually doesn't have a long wait to get in, and my dc liked it. You could get her an OT eval and see how you feel about that.

You only need a referral from the pediatrician if your insurance requires that. Otherwise you can self refer.

Like I mentioned, I'm not local-all the places I listed, asked for my peds' referral. But maybe that is locally dependent, I don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

Very ill informed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Very poor information.

We’re not talking about a child with level 2 autism ignored until they are 10 years old. This is likely a high functioning fully verbal kid - the difference between a diagnosis at 4 and a diagnosis at 7 is not going to be detectable. If the parents address the child’s obvious challenges using the available resources then they are doing the right thing. Here it sounds like looking into anxiety and making sure the child is supported socially is a good first step as well as staying attentive to how the child does in a classroom setting. My point is there is no need to panic or believe there is a magic window that closes or a magic bullet treatment we need to get our kids. It doesn’t work like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

I'm not using scare tactics. Jfc.

You may think OP's child is too "high functioning" for a diagnosis to matter. I don't know what you are basing this on, but I am here to tell you as a parent of a child in this situation that the diagnosis and therapies have definitely helped our child a ton. We started the therapies before the diagnosis but the diagnosis gave us such a helpful understanding of our child and helped us understand that we needed to stick with the therapies even though DD was doing better. They work, and she needs them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

I'm not using scare tactics. Jfc.

You may think OP's child is too "high functioning" for a diagnosis to matter. I don't know what you are basing this on, but I am here to tell you as a parent of a child in this situation that the diagnosis and therapies have definitely helped our child a ton. We started the therapies before the diagnosis but the diagnosis gave us such a helpful understanding of our child and helped us understand that we needed to stick with the therapies even though DD was doing better. They work, and she needs them.

Ok. Not everyone has $5k to pay for a diagnosis. All I am saying is that there are multiple reasonable and responsible paths. It is not at all like skipping chemo for cancer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

I'm not using scare tactics. Jfc.

You may think OP's child is too "high functioning" for a diagnosis to matter. I don't know what you are basing this on, but I am here to tell you as a parent of a child in this situation that the diagnosis and therapies have definitely helped our child a ton. We started the therapies before the diagnosis but the diagnosis gave us such a helpful understanding of our child and helped us understand that we needed to stick with the therapies even though DD was doing better. They work, and she needs them.

Ok. Not everyone has $5k to pay for a diagnosis. All I am saying is that there are multiple reasonable and responsible paths. It is not at all like skipping chemo for cancer.

Yes, it sucks that diagnosing and treating autism is not adequately funded and as a result many families do not have access.

Accusing people of using scare tactics because they mention research supported benefits of early identification helps no one. Stop

[Anonymous]

Just FYI - Children's is no longer evaluating children for autism who are older than 4 (48 months).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI - Children's is no longer evaluating children for autism who are older than 4 (48 months).

Really? Any sources? Why? DD did the evaluation spring 2024 when she was age 5 at children hospital. She got provisional autism diagnosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

I'm not using scare tactics. Jfc.

You may think OP's child is too "high functioning" for a diagnosis to matter. I don't know what you are basing this on, but I am here to tell you as a parent of a child in this situation that the diagnosis and therapies have definitely helped our child a ton. We started the therapies before the diagnosis but the diagnosis gave us such a helpful understanding of our child and helped us understand that we needed to stick with the therapies even though DD was doing better. They work, and she needs them.

Ok. Not everyone has $5k to pay for a diagnosis. All I am saying is that there are multiple reasonable and responsible paths. It is not at all like skipping chemo for cancer.

Skipping early intervention for autism is much worse than skipping chemo for cancer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI - Children's is no longer evaluating children for autism who are older than 4 (48 months).

That’s great news! I hope all providers start following that guideline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI - Children's is no longer evaluating children for autism who are older than 4 (48 months).

That’s great news! I hope all providers start following that guideline.

Jfc why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI - Children's is no longer evaluating children for autism who are older than 4 (48 months).

That’s great news! I hope all providers start following that guideline.

Jfc why?

Diagnosing prior to age 4 ensures high diagnostic accuracy, as core ASD symptoms like social-communication deficits and repetitive behaviors are more distinguishable from other conditions (e.g., ADHD, language disorders) in young children. There is much historical support for this, as emphasized in DSM-III (onset before 30 months) and DSM-IV (onset before 36 months for Autistic Disorder).

Early diagnosis enables access to critical interventions, such as applied behavior analysis or speech therapy, during the neuroplastic window before age 5, which research (e.g., studies from the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2019) shows significantly improves language, social skills, and adaptive functioning, reducing long-term support needs.

This approach also leverages clear developmental histories (e.g., parent reports, pediatric records), ensuring diagnoses are grounded in observable early impairments, minimizing ambiguity and potential for overdiagnosis.

Limiting diagnoses to before age 4 maintains a focused diagnostic category, streamlining access to early intervention services like those funded under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which target children under 3.

By focusing on early childhood, professionals reduce reliance on subjective retrospective reports in older individuals, where masking or compensatory strategies can obscure symptoms, and ensure resources are allocated efficiently to those with clear early needs, maximizing developmental outcomes and long-term independence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

I'm not using scare tactics. Jfc.

You may think OP's child is too "high functioning" for a diagnosis to matter. I don't know what you are basing this on, but I am here to tell you as a parent of a child in this situation that the diagnosis and therapies have definitely helped our child a ton. We started the therapies before the diagnosis but the diagnosis gave us such a helpful understanding of our child and helped us understand that we needed to stick with the therapies even though DD was doing better. They work, and she needs them.

Ok. Not everyone has $5k to pay for a diagnosis. All I am saying is that there are multiple reasonable and responsible paths. It is not at all like skipping chemo for cancer.

Yes, it sucks that diagnosing and treating autism is not adequately funded and as a result many families do not have access.

Accusing people of using scare tactics because they mention research supported benefits of early identification helps no one. Stop

It IS a scare tactic when it is coupled with advice to avoid free resources (like Childfind or Early Stages or equivalent) and to make people feel like the need to pay a lot on therapies out of pocket. Or even just the fact that ABA companies routinely push 10-20 hours of services weekly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are made of money, start with your county or state free evaluation which will also set you up for an IEP. If you want something more specialized most large hospitals and all childrens hospitals have autism clinics likely covered by insurance.

Yes, this is the most cost effective way. But a warning that many schools are using outdated concepts of autistic behavior that misses autism in many girls.

Sigh. No, they will perform the ADOS which is the gold standard assessment (and gender neutral). If they don’t do the ADOS then insist on it or to get an independent examination after.

I'm a special ed lawyer. I have never seen a school psychologist perform an ADOS or be certified to do so. They don't even have PhDs. What school district are you in that does the ADOS?

In addition to the poster who said PG, I've seen school psychs administer the ADOS in LCPS and MCPS. You're a special ed lawyer and you don't know that some school psychologists have PhDs? Most are certified with a specialist degree, but there are school psychologists in every local district with PhDs in school psychology. Some are practicing with only their school psych certification and some are also licensed psychologists. Also, the publisher of the ADOS classifies it as needing level C qualifications to administer (which includes certified school psychs at the specialist level) rather than a level N (needs to have a PHD).

What’s with the attitude?

Probably from how frustrating it is to deal with special ed lawyers who make incorrect claims and waste families thousands of dollars!

I'm not the special ed attorney but I feel like the truth is somewhere in between. I don't doubt many school districts can administer the ADOS, the question is will they and if so how long until they will actually do it? Autistic girls (on average) often do better than autistic boys at younger ages and then struggle more at older ages as social demands increase. Unless there is a significant educational impact right now Child Find will wave you off. And even if they don't wave you off their goal will never be to diagnose your child ASAP. They will do what they are legally required to do. It is not their job to provide the top level gold standard of services to treat neurodevelopmental conditions.

The point I am trying to make is that families are ill served by the common notion that you need to panic and pay $$ to get all the services ASAP. if it is autism there is no cure. It’s ok to take some time and consideration. The only thing I would probably fast track is a language delay but even then you can just go straight to an SLP.

Early identification of autism is associated with better outcomes. For us it has been really helpful. My goal is not to save as much money as possible.

There is MUCH less certainty in autism outcomes than that statement suggests. All parents should be attentive and seek care for their kids, but we don’t need scare tactics pushing families to spend money they don’t have on interventions or testing that is not ultimately going to change much.

I'm not using scare tactics. Jfc.

You may think OP's child is too "high functioning" for a diagnosis to matter. I don't know what you are basing this on, but I am here to tell you as a parent of a child in this situation that the diagnosis and therapies have definitely helped our child a ton. We started the therapies before the diagnosis but the diagnosis gave us such a helpful understanding of our child and helped us understand that we needed to stick with the therapies even though DD was doing better. They work, and she needs them.

Ok. Not everyone has $5k to pay for a diagnosis. All I am saying is that there are multiple reasonable and responsible paths. It is not at all like skipping chemo for cancer.

Skipping early intervention for autism is much worse than skipping chemo for cancer.

lol ok.