Newswise BUFFALO, N.Y. - For families with a child on the autism spectrum, early intervention is the mantra. The earlier their child is diagnosed, the sooner intervention can start, making a tremendous difference in the life of both the child and family.
But early diagnosis depends on early evaluation and in too many cities, there just arent enough specialists to provide efficient diagnoses; most children show signs of autism spectrum disorder before they are three years old.
In many places, it can take seven to nine months to get a diagnosis, explains Michelle Hartley-McAndrew, MD, clinical assistant professor of child neurology at the University at Buffalo and medical director of The Childrens Guild Foundation Autism Spectrum Disorder Center at Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo. Seven to nine months is a lifetime for a parent to wait for a diagnosis with a child that young. Here at the center, we are working very hard to keep the waiting time down.
A photograph of Hartley-McAndrew is at http://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2013/06/041.html.
Now, thanks to the centers expanded schedule of clinics, which started in March, more Western New York families with children on the autism spectrum are receiving faster diagnoses. While each case varies, the typical wait until the first appointment is three months with follow-up diagnosis taking place between one and three months afterward, depending on the need for further testing.
Located at Women & Childrens Hospital of Buffalo and run by the hospital and UB, the center now operates two weekly evaluation clinics, allowing for the diagnosis of more than 450 children annually, up from 275.
Autism is such a difficult diagnosis, says Hartley-McAndrew, noting that proper diagnosis often depends on multiple evaluations by specialists, including a pediatric neurologist, a psychologist and a developmental pediatrician.
The idea was to make the whole process, from diagnosis to treatment plan, faster, more efficient and less difficult for the family and the patient, she continues. Doctors appointments are difficult for these children, so we thought, you need a one stop shop. We schedule the children for their three appointments to happen one after the other.
In addition to the doctors visits, the center requires that parents and teachers complete extensive questionnaires if the child is in school or daycare. The team of specialists at the center then discusses each patient individually and makes a diagnosis collectively.
Once a diagnosis is made, the family can take advantage of a multidisciplinary array of resources provided at, or through, the center.
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Autism Center Can Evaluate More Than 450 New Patients Annually, Up From 275