Preschool Age Diagnostic Assessments
Early identification of problems and early intervention are important for the child’s positive development. If you, or your pediatrician, are worried about signs of autism or missed milestones in your preschooler, it may be time for an assessment. Because there is no simple test, your child is evaluated based on observations of development and behaviors as well as communication with you, the parent, about your concerns.
How We Can Help
At the Family Guidance and Therapy Center we offer a a comprehensive autism evaluation for children between the ages of three and five years old. Depending on the outcome of the evaluation we can then refer you to the necessary early interventions that can be critical for the growth of your child.
Common Questions
How Does It Work?
The multidisciplinary team that will perform the evaluation consists of our Psychologist, our Occupational Therapist (OT), and our Speech Language Therapist (SLT). Our Psychologist will administer most of the assessments, including cognitive, developmental, and social-emotional measures.
Our SLT will administer a language screening, and provide feedback to our Psychologist. Our OT will score and review results of the sensory questionnaire, and provide feedback to our Psychologist. Additional language and sensory-motor assessments, beyond a basic screening, are available if requested.
Finally, you will participate in a feedback meeting. Our psychologist will integrate all of your child’s scores and feedback into an comprehensive written diagnostic report.
How Long Does it Take?
The assessment itself will take 4 hours for the various professionals to evaluate the child.
You will generally receive a full written report with test results, relevant diagnoses, and recommendations within two weeks of completing testing.
How Much Does it Cost?
The full evaluation, including written report, will cost $3100*.
If you have health insurance, there is a possibility that all or part of your psych testing is covered.
* Every diagnostic test is specifically tailored to the person, funding source, and needs of the individual. Please be advised that if there are additional questions beyond ASD (e.g. ADHD, Learning Disabilities, Neuropsych Testing) that need to be answered, additional testing may be required which will add to the cost. These are the flat rates for Autism Diagnostic Assessments. Any additional costs will be discussed with parents/clients first. Due to Covid-19, procedures may differ from what is detailed on the website. Please give us a call and we can customize a plan that will meet your needs.
It is our goal to make this process as easy as possible for you, especially when it comes to paying for an assessment. We are prepared to accept insurance for all evaluations and will work with your insurance provider to help you qualify. We are in-network with several health insurance companies including Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, BlueShield of CA. This is list is growing every day
We can also check your benefits for out of network costs. If you decide to use your out of network benefits, we will bill your insurance for you. No superbills or waiting on reimbursements.
Technical Details
Preschool-Age Diagnostic Measures (ages 3 – 5 years)
Direct Assessment 3 Hours
Caregiver Interview 1 Hour
Caregiver Questionnaires 2 Hours
- Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD): The CASD rates 30 symptoms of autism, covering six domains: Problems with social interaction, perseveration, somatosensory disturbance, atypical communication and development, mood, and problems with attention and safety. Symptoms are rated based on information drawn from various sources, including teachers, caregivers, parents, direct clinical observation of the child, and available records.
- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) This semi-structured assessment can be used to evaluate almost anyone suspected of having autism—from toddlers to adults, from children with no speech to adults who are verbally fluent. The ADOS-2 consists of various activities that allow observation of social and communication behaviors related to the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. These activities provide interesting, standard contexts in which interaction can occur.
- Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition Normative Update (KABC-2 NU): The KABC-II NU approach provides insights into how a child receives and processes information, helping pinpoint cognitive strengths and weaknesses
- Preschool Language Assessment Instrument, Second Edition (PLAI-2) The PLAI-2 identifies young children with language and communication problems that might impede classroom performance. Test results compare receptive and expressive language skills and pinpoint pragmatic behaviors that interfere with communication.
Parent / Teacher Questionnaires:
Parents and teachers will be asked to complete questionnaires about the preschool age child and bring them to the evaluation.
- Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3, Parent Form ages 0 – 5) Provides a complete assessment of adaptive skills across the lifespan.
- Social Responsiveness Scale™, Second Edition (SRS-2) Identifies the presence and severity of social impairment within the autism spectrum and differentiates it from that which occurs in other disorders.
- Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3): helps with understanding the behaviors and emotions of children. We include Parent Rating Scales (PRS – Preschool Form) and the Structured Developmental History (SDH).
Sensory Processing Measure™- Preschool Form (SPM-P) provides a screening for sensory processing difficulties.
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