Keep in mind that the parent questionnaire can play a big role in getting a diagnosis. I spent the first almost 3 years of my older sons life kind of in denial. Plus Kaiser was slow to diagnose him properly. I think it may've had something to do with the fact they didn't offer the services needed "in house", and were more reluctant to diagnose for that reason. (Knowing what I know now-looking at him, he's a text book case.) So when I had my youngest, I was not going to allow him to miss out on any of services that could be of benefit. i.e. early intervention etc. If don't agree with the diagnosis offered by your medical insurance provider, there are other avenues. My older son's school psychologist was the first to diagnose him with Autism; then the rest fell in line. My youngest was diagnosed by the Regional Center. Don't give up! If you don't agree, go elsewhere to get what he needs.

I would start by asking your pediatrician for a referral and see what your insurance covers. We just went through all of this. Some insurances require certain types of evaluations. For instance, Blue Cross Blue Shield requires a team of individuals to complete the eval in order for it to be covered. We met with 4 different specialists, back to back appointments.

All, my so had his pediatricians, s psychologist, and the neuro Pych. Dream team...believe me. You'll need them. They also came ti court with me. We went through hell but he made it to Clark University. He's doing okay now. Don't forget she needs the pysc/ educational evaluation.

we started at school. I brought up autism to his teachers and we saw the school nurse. Then from there they scheduled testing with the school psychologist, speech therapist and principal. The services through school are not that great, but it can take a long time to get through all of the appointments required by insurance to get services. He was at least getting services through school until we were approved through our insurance.

I called Early Intervention in our area. See if you have one. Pediatrician should help too.