Anonymous wrote:Is a diagnosis really going to be usefull? I mean, could that money not bw used for a social skills group and therapists to address any apparent deficit without a diagnosis?

Useful for the child? Yes, as a child and later as an adult, it can be useful to understand themselves.

Is a diagnosis really going to be usefull? I mean, could that money not bw used for a social skills group and therapists to address any apparent deficit without a diagnosis?

I would start with the pediatrician and just see what they say. They will make a referral.

OP here, unfortunately, we have Kaiser and its unlikely they will cover any testing. We've scheduled a quick appt for next week to chat about it and hopefully get a referral from her primary doc.

We had a different insurance last year and testing was covered 100%, no referral needed.

I truly don't mind paying for a good practice that will give us some insight into her "issues".

Stixrud is a very good practice. Black is an expert in autism in girls, but you won’t see him anyway. I think the age of “girls don’t have autism” is over and any of these evaluators will be competent. You can certainly share your concerns at the intake. Good luck.

Np, we were recommended to go to Stixrud for eval for girl same age and wonder if folks think Dr Black’s practice is substantially better or within same ballpark quality? Thanks!

An aside, but just make sure that she knows what it's for and understands that the goal is to help her.

My parents brought me to psychologist when I was 8/9 for an evaluation, but never explained their intention for takin gme. I didn't understand why I was there and when the psychologist asked me about my fears I just regurgitated what I had heard on a television special about OCD. They got this crazy report about how I had near crippling OCD that was not useful.

With summer coming, you might want to look into other metro areas for a neuropsych evaluation. You can get on the waitlists for KKI and Children’s—it’s a lot of paperwork, but frequently they have cancellations if you’re flexible.

KKI takes insurance but there is a waiting list. They might offer a zoom evaluation, which you should decline and opt for in-person.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:David Black at the Center for Assessment and Treatment is an expert in ASD presentation in girls.

Do you have a ballpark figure of what the practice charges for this evaluation?

$4-5k

Sounds untrustworthy. Anyone charging this much and refusing to participate with insurance is a diagnosis factory.

Nobody takes insurance and that price is in line with others.