Research has found that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger. However, many children do not receive a final diagnosis until they are much older. This delay means that children with ASD might not get the help they need. The earlier an ASD is diagnosed, the sooner treatment can begin. Autism Screening tools are designed to help identify children who might have developmental delays.
Tips for parents
- At the intake evaluation, it is helpful if parents bring any previous assessments that have been completed by other professionals, such as Speech-Language Pathologists, Occupational therapists, Optometrists, or from the school if your child has an IEP.
- To help testing run more smoothly, make sure parents or children get plenty of rest the night before, eat a meal with protein before coming to testing, and takes any medications as prescribed. Please feel free to bring any healthy snacks for the child.
- The testing process can be anxiety-provoking. Therefore, we take great care to provide the child with a comfortable environment and incorporate breaks into the testing process. This can include playing a short game, take a quick walk, or eat a snack to avoid fatigue.
- Preparing the child for testing will minimize anxiety and encourage cooperation: try to avoid using the word “test” as this tends to provoke anxiety in school-aged children, explain to your child that s/he will be meeting with a psychologist alone.
How much will testing cost?
Psychological testing involves administration, scoring, and interpretation of tests; it also requires the psychologist to prepare a written report and meet with parents to review the results. The cost of testing varies depending on the battery of tests required and will be determined during the intake evaluation. The payment for a full assessment will cover the total number of hours required by the psychologist(s) to complete the full evaluation process from testing time with the child to results review session with parents.
