Autism Diagnostic Services

Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton has a team of professionals available to address the diagnostic question of autism.
Areas of assessment may include cognition, language, social communication, adaptive function, and developmental history.
Our team will assess for any developmental diagnosis, including Autism. An accurate diagnosis is important as it will guide interventions and program planning for the future.

Following the assessment, we will discuss next steps with parents, make referrals as required and help to ensure that families are connected to the resources that they require.

Referrals are accepted from:

  • parents/guardians,
  • school personnel
  • community providers such as physicians, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, early interventionists, family liaison workers, mental health providers and case workers.

The assessment process requires the participation of parents or guardians. Parents may be directly involved in the assessment and/or they may be observers. A parent interview will always form part of the assessment.

Following the assessment process, a report will be compiled in accordance with the standards of the professional regulatory colleges. Reports will be written for parents as the primary audience. Information about how the diagnosis was made and the child’s functional abilities will be included to assist with future programming.

The distribution of the report to any person or agency requires informed parental consent.

Fees:

The fee for an Autism Diagnostic Assessment is based on Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton base rate of $175 per hour. Each assessment is specific to the individual needs of the child and dependent upon what assessment, if any, has already occurred in other settings. The components of the assessment will be discussed and agreed upon between the parent or guardian and our staff and will form the basis of the contract.

The fee ranges from $2,800 to $3,850 (16-22 hours) depending on the age of the child and the complexity of the assessment.

Notes:

  • Consent of the parent/guardian is required prior to any involvement of our team.
  • The initiation of the assessment follows the receipt of a signed contractual agreement.
  • Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton reserves the right to determine whether it is appropriate for us to engage in an assessment.