Autism and Developmental Delays
Has your child’s pediatrician or teacher brought up concerns about a developmental delay, or have you noticed that your child is lagging behind their peers? The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center offers testing and screening to give parents an accurate diagnosis, a detailed written report, and recommendations for treatment or early intervention if needed.
The developmental evaluation team is led by Dr. Jenny Longwell, who has served on the Louisiana Behavior Analysts Board and is one of New Orleans’ most accomplished experts in Autism and Developmental Testing / Evaluation.
First Steps
Clinic administrators can assist you in determining whether your insurance will cover your child’s evaluation. For more information or to schedule an initial interview, contact the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans at 504-383-3815 .
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Infant & Child Developmental Testing and Screening
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans offers testing services for younger children and infants to give parents an overall picture of their child’s current development and to determine if special treatment or therapy is recommended. This service is tailored to your child’s age and any suspected delay or problem – for example, a child’s pediatrician or teacher may have noted a speech or motor delay and recommend further evaluation. Specific tests used and time required will be determined following an initial interview and detailed medical and developmental history. Parents will receive a comprehensive report to clearly state diagnostic impressions and if needed, to determine the next steps in additional testing or recommendations for early intervention or a treatment plan.
Comprehensive Autism Assessment
The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans offers comprehensive Autism (previously known as Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD) evaluations for children aged 12 months to 17 years of age. The process includes a focus on developmental and medical history, learning abilities, social development, emotional and behavioral functioning, communication/language abilities, and the ability to complete age-appropriate self-care tasks.
The diagnostic team uses gold-standard evaluation measures that include the most recent version of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS), as well as structured clinical interviews and other standardized tests as needed.
Detailed Reporting
Following the evaluation, a comprehensive report and a parent feedback session is provided, which includes diagnostic impressions and treatment recommendations. If needed, we will then help you find the treatment services that would best serve your child and you will have the option to schedule ongoing Treatment Consultation appointments. The high quality report is appropriate for schools and service providers, but due to HIPAA restrictions we will only provide the report to parents unless the appropriate release is obtained.
Ongoing Treatment Consultation & Support
Following an Autism diagnosis, families often find themselves overwhelmed by various therapies to consider and how to find the right treatments for their child. At the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center of New Orleans, we offer Treatment Consultations to help families navigate the process of treatment planning. This can be helpful in the weeks following a diagnosis or even months and years later as the child’s needs evolve with age and development. With Dr. Longwell’s background in Applied Behavior Analysis, Autism advocacy and policy, as well as extensive experience in schools as both a professional and a parent, she has deep insights to help parents decide which path to follow next.
Additionally, you may find that you need more support for family members. In that case, our Cognitive Behavioral Therapists can help parents, siblings, and other family members to develop skills to help them process a diagnosis and successfully navigate other challenges that arise through individual or family therapy.
Book an Appointment
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