Sea Girt Autism Testing
Empowered Learning Transformation Centers
A major focus of Empowered Learning Transformation Centers is to provide a multi-disciplinary evaluation to determine if a child meets the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder and other related disorders. A secondary focus is to work directly with families and care providers to develop appropriate recommendations and provide referrals to address primary behavioral concerns.
The Empowered Learning Transformation Centers estimates one in 68 children was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 2015. Symptoms for autism spectrum disorder are divided into two distinct categories, including:
- impairments in social and emotional reciprocity, and
- restricted and repetitive behaviors, such as repetitive motor movements, vocal stereotypy and restricted interests.
Symptoms can range from mild to moderate to severe and involve impairments in communication, problems with social interaction and abnormal patterns of behavior.
MMI professionals have the expertise to treat all of the symptoms of autism. Because no two children with autism are alike, individualized treatment is vital. Treatment can focus on one or all of the aspects of autism, depending on the child’s needs. Symptoms vary but may include:
Core symptoms
- repetitive behavior
- delays or deficits in speech
- poor social skills
- eye-contact issues
- lack of empathy
- restricted interests
Associated symptoms
- tantrums
- self-injurious behavior
- aggressive behavior towards themselves and others
- delays in toilet training
- difficulties with sleep
- food selectivity
During your child’s appointment with the Empowered Learning Transformation Centers, he or she will participate in a number of assessments and interviews to help gather information to diagnose possible autism spectrum disorder. These assessments are interactive, calling for active participation by both the child and the caregiver(s). Each component of the appointment is an hour in duration, totaling approximately five hours.
Clinical Interview
During the clinical interview, you and your child will meet with the psychology team, consisting of the licensed psychologist, predoctoral interns, post-doctoral psychology fellows, and Board Certified Behavior Analysts®.
The clinical interview is a semi-structured interview and unstructured observation of your child. The interview is designed to gather information in areas of developmental, medical and academic history, as well as to gather information about how the child engages in social, communicative, and emotional interactions with others the presence or absence of restricted and repetitive behaviors.
The unstructured observation is designed to provide an opportunity for the psychology team to observe how your child plays and interacts with others in his or her environment. We will ask you a lot of questions about your child. We may also ask you to complete surveys or questionnaires to learn more about your child.
Speech & Language Evaluation
Our speech pathology team will use a variety of formal and informal test measures to evaluate three broad areas of your child’s communication: speech, language, and social skills. Speech involves the sounds that your child produces and how those sounds are combined to form words and sentences. Language involves what your child understands, as well as the gestures, words, and sentences that your child uses to communicate with others. Social skills involve how your child uses their nonverbal and verbal language to communicate with others in greetings, conversations, etc.
Autism Diagnostic Schedule-2 (ADOS-2)
The Autism Diagnostic Schedule-2 is considered by many of the gold-standard assessment for evaluating possible symptoms of ASD. The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured, standardized assessment of communication, social interaction, play, and restricted and repetitive behaviors. It presents various activities that elicit behaviors directly related to a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
By observing and coding these behaviors, examiners can obtain information that informs diagnosis, and treatment planning. The ADOS-2 consists of modules associated with various ages and communication levels. Your child’s ADOS-2 module will be carefully selected to ensure the most accurate and appropriate assessment tool possible for your child.
Depending on the module selected for your child, you may be asked to be present and assist with certain aspects of the assessment. Pay careful attention to the examiner, and follow any directions he or she may have for you during your child’s ADOS-2.
Feedback Session
The feedback session occurs on the day of your appointment. During the feedback session the entire diagnostic team will review assessment results with your family and use this information to determine if your child’s behavioral symptoms meet the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder and/or other related disorders. In addition to diagnosis, the diagnostic team works with families to develop appropriate recommendations and referrals to aid in ongoing access to assessment and treatment. The family will receive a comprehensive evaluation report from the diagnostic team approximately two weeks after your appointment.
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