Expert: James Michael Roan - 9/29/2005

Question
My son is 5 and we live in Sacramento, CA (USA)

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Followup To
Question -
Where do I go to have my 5 year old tested to see if he has Autism?
Answer -
Hi Shara;

How old is your child and which country do you live in?

Kind Regards,
James

Answer
Hi Shara;

Call the special education department of the school district in which you live and ask for the appropriate school psychologist responsible for evaluating your child. Call the psychologist and make a special education referral for autism. Some special education teams are unwilling or reluctant to diagnose autism, in which case you should contact the local Children's Hospital or the autism department of the closest university and have them properly evaluate your child. Although a pediatrician can diagnose autism, they are frequently not up to date on the diversity now found among the population of autistic children and thus may not see the symptoms as autistic or as being on the autistic spectrum.

It's extremely important to get a correct diagnosis so your child can receive appropriate early intervention services as soon as possible.

Kind Regards,
James