Appointments with Pediatrician and Diagnostician

The best way to screen your child for Autism is to schedule an initial appointment with a pediatrician. During the appointment, the pediatrician will interact with and observe your child to determine if symptoms correlate with the presence of Autism. The initial appointment is a great opportunity for you to discuss with the pediatrician any problems and or concerns that you have about your child’s social and cognitive development. The initial appointment will not provide a diagnosis for your child. Rather, the pediatrician will evaluate your child’s behaviors to determine if further diagnostic evaluation is needed.

If the pediatrician determines that further diagnostic evaluation is needed, they will provide a referral to visit a diagnostician. Some diagnosticians may say that it can take upwards of twelve to eighteen months for an appointment from the time of referral. In this case, it might be worth considering other diagnosticians that are in-network with your insurance policy to ensure that the process of obtaining diagnostic results is concise and timely. Call our office for a local list of resources (depending on location).