Have you ever wondered if your toddler, child, or teen has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Children with ASD are often very bright, goal-oriented, and creative. Nevertheless, toddlers, children, and teens on the spectrum struggle to connect socially. A common myth about ASD is that these kids do not want to have friends. That assumption is simply not true. Children and teens with autism want to have friends but they struggle with how to make friends.
You want your child or teen to be more connected to peers and classmates but what should you do?
It is important to figure out whether ASD can explain the challenges you are seeing, especially since treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder are available and can make a big difference.
Here are answers to questions we are often asked about assessing ASD at the Possibilities Clinic.
You might have heard that ASD is rare or that your child will just “grow out” of any awkwardness with peers. Or maybe you’ve heard that your child’s language skills will just “catch up.” Science does not support this “growing out of it over time” perspective. ASD is a real, physical, neurobiological brain difference. Thousands of scientific studies have proven that fact, and early interventions and treatments are critical for improving outcomes in the future.
ASD can look different in different people. Some children seem to prefer playing on their own, others struggle with language delays, and many simply find “chit-chat” conversations not interesting or difficult to do.
A detailed assessment can help you figure that out. And no, this is not something you need to figure out on your own. We can help! We have assessed thousands of children and teens at the Possibilities Clinic. We are specialists, not generalists, so we are experts in diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Yes, treating ASD is complicated. There are many therapy options out there. Some have scientific support and others do not. How do you know what is right for you or your family? How do you know what is going to make real change happen? We will devise a Treatment Plan that helps you achieve bigger goals and better outcomes. And we will only suggest treatments for autism that are supported by science.
At Possibilities, we approach assessments from a team perspective. That means we involve experts from multiple health fields—like medicine, psychology, and speech and language pathology—in our assessments. A team approach to ASD, where psychology and speech and language pathology expertise is added to physician assessment, makes our approach unique. Having multiple experts on the assessment team also means that a full range of abilities can be examined in-depth, from language development and social skills to behaviour and emotion regulation.
Our team approach is comprehensive, so we call our assessment the Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Multidisciplinary Team Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Early intervention always works best! However, it is never too late. We have seen thousands of preschoolers, children, and teens. At any age, good outcomes can happen with the right Treatment Plan. At Possibilities, we offer our ASD assessment to toddlers as young as 18 months and to children and teens up to 17 years.
Please fill out our Child and Adolescent Intake Form for children and teens. Once we have this form and the physician referral, our Team will call you to set up an appointment.
For any questions, email us at info@possibilitiesclinic.com or call 1-833-482-5558.
