Our team of child-development experts includes licensed clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and other medical professionals who have expertise in the diagnosis of autism.
Diagnostic Services
What does a medical diagnostic evaluation of autism include?
A diagnostic evaluation for autism (referred to as autism spectrum disorder or ASD) usually takes place over several appointments. It is conducted by child development specialists who are licensed child psychologists or child and adolescent psychiatrists.
At the Duke Autism Clinic, steps generally include:
- Our providers meet with each individual and their caregivers to review medical, developmental, social, and academic history.
- Caregivers and teachers complete questionnaires to better understand the individual being evaluated.
- Our clinicians may conduct observational assessments with the individual and their family members.
- Results are summarized and shared with caregivers during a feedback session.
- Our providers work with the individual and the family to tailor a plan of care unique to the individual's and family's goals and circumstances.
- Our clinicial team will suport families on next steps to take to support the plan of care.
At the Duke Autism Clinic, we provide:
- First-time diagnostic evaluations for autism (autism spectrum disorder or ASD). A referral from a Duke provider is required for children older than 3 years of age.
- Psychiatric evaluation*
- Medical evaluation*
- Infant/Toddler evaluation
*As of early 2023, we are not accepting new patients for this service.
Consultation Services
We collaborate closely with Duke Health providers and specialists, not located at the Duke Autism Clinic, who have expertise in:
- Neurology
- Speech language pathology
- Eating disorders
- Gastroenterology
- Occupational therapy
- Sleep disorders
- Medical genetics
- Gender identity and dysphoria
We assist individuals and families who are established Duke patients to coordinate appointments with specialists outside of our clinic who are a part of the Duke Health network.
Referral Services
We provide referrals both within the Duke University Health System and the community for further evaluation, and/or additional therapies and services.