The US continues to be one of the leading countries that have a significant child population diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD. At CASE, we do realize that appearing for an ASD evaluation could be a stressful experience for both you and your child.
We are leaving no stones unturned in facilitating vital improvements in children on the spectrum for enabling them to assimilate more meaningfully with society. We accomplish this by offering them support, care, and resources while equipping their immediate families with complete access to our evidence-based findings.
It is standard for families to wait for weeks to even months for a diagnostic assessment since symptoms of ASD first surface on their child. Here are a few key things that we recommend you do as a parent or legal guardian of the child on the spectrum.
A) Know About ASD as Much as Possible
Prepare a comprehensive list of questions prior to your visit to the consultant practitioner to have your child evaluated for ASD. We recommend thoroughly going through our entire website content including symptoms, causes, and diagnosis of ASD.
B) Organize Your Child’s Data
Use a folder or a folio to organize the clinical records of your child, including his or her past behavioral or developmental assessments. You are also encouraged to bring your custom-written observations that you have noticed about your child when dealing with various individuals and in different settings. You might wish to make a note of his or her strengths and weaknesses as well.
While a number of assessments are performed by a specialist team, a single provider is assigned with the task of carrying out other evaluations. In general, a qualified psychologist or a developmental pediatrician is selected for doing the ASD diagnosis. Nevertheless, other clinical providers can conduct the screening as long as they receive appropriate training. The ASD evaluation includes direct interaction between your child and the provider being consulted.
It may involve a play-centric, structured evaluation known as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd version, or ADOS-2. Your child may also be asked to undergo one or several cognitive examinations as per requirement. Also, being a parent, you should be prepared to answer questions about the development and behavior of your child. Furthermore, you are likely to be asked to complete one or several checklists. All of this will aid the professional in ensuring precise assessment.
You will get an opportunity to meet with the evaluation team for discussing the diagnosis and results obtained. You should also receive a written copy of its official assessment along with the results. In all, the screening will take several hours, comprising of multiple visits before a diagnosis for ASD can be confirmed.
a) Seek Support
Several parents have reported the diagnostic evaluation as quite overwhelming and considerably emotional. Consider requesting a relative, friend, neighbor, co-worker, or anyone you can depend on to accompany you on the assessment sessions. The person can take notes and help you take minutes of the meeting while you concentrate on getting all your concerns being addressed properly.
b) Get Started on Intervention Services
Irrespective of whether ASD is clinically confirmed or not, the assessment may help identify developmental conditions that require intervention services like physical, occupational, or speech therapy. Admittedly, many states or school districts may offer early intervention programs at zero cost to you. However, to be eligible for receiving such free services, your child needs to be assessed for each of them individually.
At CASE, we work towards improving the ASD awareness level among the community and help children with ASD to better integrate with society.
Schedule a consult now or request a call-back today to learn more about our services and activities related to ASD children empowerment.
