If you are considering an assessment for a young child, there are a few things to think about before we just get started.…
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) assessments for young children have to be done in a certain way in order to be recognized by the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and the Ministry of Education later on. For the most part, that is our responsibility, but there are two parts that you have to ensure get done, typically prior to coming in to see us:
A pediatrician needs to be involved in assessments of children under the age of 6. If you have seen a pediatrician for developmental questions already, their report (which they will have on file) will suffice. If you have not already seen a pediatrician, you will need a referral from your family physician (or if you don't have one, a walk-in clinic). Waiting to see a pediatrician can take a while with waits of 6 to 8 months becoming more common. The pediatrician assesses other areas of health and development, and if you have not already met with them, they can often do the initial parts of the ASD assessment and advise you as to whether a private ASD assessment is wise.
A Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP) needs to be involved and complete an assessment. Their opinion is invaluable because of their in-depth knowledge about social communication. If you have not already seen a speech pathologist/therapist, you can find a private practitioner here. You can also access SLP through your local public health unit.
Our portion of an ASD assessment costs $2950 (there may be additional fees to your SLP if you are seeing someone privately). This includes the use of the required tools (ADOS-2 and ADI-R) and an appropriate assessment of developmental level. If your child is found to have autism, then you are eligible for over $1800 a month in funding for therapy; however, note that that autism funding cannot be used to pay for the assessment retroactively.
If your child has already been diagnosed with autism outside of BC and you are looking to pursue services in BC, you only need a confirmation of diagnosis.
To join the wait list, please click here.