OBCC Autism Diagnostic Evaluation
What is a diagnostic evaluation for autism at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic?
The autism services team at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic (OBCC) offers evaluations for children ages 15 months to 18 years who get their primary care at OBCC. We see children who show differences in social interaction and communication compared with other children their age.
If we diagnose your child with (ASD), we work with you on a care plan for their unique medical, behavioral and communication needs. Our staff will help connect you with therapies and support services at OBCC, at Seattle Children’s and in the community.
How will a diagnostic evaluation help my child?
Focused process for diagnosis
For most families, the evaluation process starts with a referral from your child’s OBCC primary care provider. Then we’ll schedule your first appointment with a provider from the autism services team. They will interview you and your child to learn about:
- Challenges your child may be having at home, at school or in the community
- Services your child is already receiving
- Your child’s medical and developmental history
In most cases, we’ll do further assessment to understand more about your child. For children age 30 months and younger, we may do this the same day as your first appointment or on another day. For older children, the interview and assessment often happen on different days.
Compassionate experts
Providers from different specialties may assess your child. At OBCC, like in most settings, these may include:
OBCC is designated an autism Center of Excellence. This means at OBCC these types of providers are also trained to diagnose autism:
- General
Earlier referral to services and support
- The earlier your child is diagnosed, the sooner they can start services for their specific needs. Early intervention improves outcomes. Follow-up visits help us provide family support.
- We will give you a full report with our findings and recommendations. The report helps shape your child’s path to progress. It can guide providers, school staff and others in your community.
Scheduling a Diagnostic Evaluation
- Ask your child’s OBCC primary care provider to refer your child to the autism services team for a diagnostic evaluation.
- This handout may be helpful: What to Do While Waiting for an Autism Center Appointment (PDF) (Spanish) (Somali) (Vietnamese).
- Learn about autism resources, such as useful links, videos and recommended reading.
What to Expect
- For most children, evaluations involve 3 appointments. Each is about 2 hours.
- In the first appointment, a provider will interview you and your child.
- In the second appointment, we will do a standardized assessment to check for signs of autism.
- In the third appointment, we will share feedback and recommendations with you.
- We may schedule the first appointment for 1 day and the second and third appointments together on a different day.
- In rare cases, we need more information to finish the evaluation. For example, we may need to get school records or do extra testing.
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Things to do before your visit
- Fill out any forms the scheduling team sends you. The scheduling team will explain how to complete and return these forms.
- Think back about your child’s growth and development since they were born. Try to remember milestones like when they started talking and how they played with other children. Write down things about your child that have concerned you over time as they have grown.
- Gather your child’s school records. If your child has an individualized education program (IEP), please bring both their IEP evaluation summary (it has the testing the school did) and their IEP plan. If your child has a 504 plan, please bring that as well. It’s helpful if you can send these records to us via MyChart before your child’s evaluation.
- Gather any other evaluations or assessments your child has had and bring them with you.
- If you would like to learn about autism, these resources can help:
- Understanding an Autism Diagnosis (Spanish) (Video. 12:40)
- What Is Autism? (Arabic) (Chinese) (Korean) (Spanish) (Somali) (Vietnamese) (Autism Speaks)
- Signs of Autism (Autism Speaks)
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Next steps
We will send you a full report that explains the reasons for our diagnosis and recommendations. If we diagnose your child with autism, these are the next steps:
- We will recommend therapies and support (such as classes, readings and websites) that fit your child’s needs. OBCC offers services like the RUBI parenting program, assessments and feeding therapy. Learn more about OBCC autism services.
- Primary care at OBCC will be tailored to your child’s needs as a person with autism, as well as the needs of your family. We use a model of care called an “autism medical home.” It helps us ensure that autistic children get comprehensive, coordinated services that are right for them.
- We may recommend that your child also see providers at Seattle Children’s or somewhere else, like at school or in your local community.
- You can attend the Accessing Treatment, Learning and Support (ATLAS) class (PDF) at Seattle Children’s Autism Center. This class will help you learn about and access services offered at the Autism Center, and provides an overview of community resources and supports for autism.
At follow-up visits, we check how your child and family are doing. If needed, we revise your child’s care plan. We answer your questions and help make sure you are getting the services and support you want. Follow-up visits happen once a year or more often if needed.
Contact Us
If you would like us to assess your child, ask your OBCC primary care provider to refer you. Contact OBCC at 206-987-7210 for an appointment or more information.
Paying for Care
OBCC is here to provide care to your children, regardless of your ability to pay. We accept most insurance plans and care for those who are uninsured. Learn about paying for care at Seattle Children’s, including insurance coverage, billing and financial assistance.