The first step in getting your child the right treatment is receiving the correct diagnosis.

At Marcus Autism Center, our commitment to your child and family begins with that first step, testing.

Our staff offers diagnostic evaluations for children who may have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Our evaluations help to determine whether or not children meet criteria for autism, using the highest standard of care in diagnostic assessment. In addition to determining a diagnosis, the evaluation process helps to identify a child's specific strengths and weaknesses and guides appropriate recommendations for treatment and intervention.

At Marcus Autism Center, caregivers benefit from having multidisciplinary care and support services under one roof.

Toddler evaluations

Children 2 and younger are seen by a multidisciplinary team for a one-day evaluation. This evaluation includes:

• A parent interview by a medical provider
• Developmental assessment
• Assessment of the child’s social interaction and play
• Adaptive assessment
• Feedback session with parents to discuss diagnosis, your child’s strengths and weaknesses and recommendations

This appointment lasts about 3 hours and a full written report summarizing our findings will be provided to you after the evaluation.

Preschool and school-age evaluations

Diagnostic evaluations for children ages 3 and older consist of two appointments:

Diagnostic interview

The diagnostic interview appointment is a one-hour interview with parents. During this parent interview, the clinician will gather detailed information about your child’s development and current symptoms. You may also be asked to complete parent rating scales, and be given forms to be completed by your child’s teacher or other caregivers. It is important that your child be present for this appointment.

Testing appointment

Many children are scheduled for a testing appointment after the diagnostic interview. This testing appointment usually occurs several weeks after the diagnostic interview and includes an assessment of the following:

• Cognitive abilities or developmental level
• Social interaction
• Communication
• Emotional functioning
• Behavior
• Adaptive skills

This testing appointment lasts for about 5 hours and includes:

• Direct testing with your child throughout most of the morning
• A lunch break for families
• An afternoon feedback session with parents to discuss diagnosis, your child’s strengths and weaknesses and treatment recommendations

A full written report summarizing these findings will be provided to you after the evaluation.

How to prepare for your visit

Referrals

To have your child evaluated by our team, you’ll need a doctor referral and to complete the steps to make a new patient appointment.