2300 Washington Circle NW
Huntsville, AL 35811
Overview
Our Autism Clinic provides diagnostic evaluations for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We see children ages 2 through 5 years old, to evaluate social and emotional development, communication, thinking and problem-solving ability, adaptive skills and behavior. Autism evaluations can be initiated by parents or through a referral from your child’s pediatrician. The Autism Clinic can determine if your insurance covers the evaluation prior to scheduling an assessment. If you have any questions or need any updates on your child’s diagnostic evaluation, please call us at 256-696-5700.
Funding Sources
Autism Diagnosis
The Arc worked with professionals to create a best practice diagnostic clinic. The clinic was established to fill a need in our community for low income children and families who did not have resources to get a diagnosis for their child. This diagnosis helps to open up many new services for these kids.
Assessments Utilized
- ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, 2nd Ed.)
- ADI-R (Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised)
- ASRS (Autism Spectrum Rating Scales)
- MIGDAS-2 (Monteiro Interview Guidelines, 2nd Ed.) – as needed
- BDI-3 (Battelle Developmental Inventory, 3rd Ed.) or DAYC-2 (Developmental Assessment of Young Children, 2nd Ed.)
- PLS-5 (Preschool Language Scales, 5th Ed.)
- PDMS-3 (Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 3rd Ed.)
- Sensory Profiles, 2nd Ed.
Certifications
Meet Our Team
PAAD Clinic Model
The Arc of Madison County’s PAAD Clinic model:
- Serves children ages 2 through 5
- Accepts Medicaid, many insurances (varies by location), and private pay
- Keeps out-of-pocket costs low for families
- Partners with physicians
We complete a full battery of assessments and provide the physician with a comprehensive evaluation report, which includes an individualized list of recommendations for the family. The physician then decides the final diagnosis (using the DSM-5 checklist) and provides the results to the family for continuity of care.
Patient Information
Overview
The Physician-Assisted Autism Diagnostic (PAAD) Clinic serves families with children ages 2 through 5 interested in autism testing. We complete a full battery of assessments and provide the child’s physician with a comprehensive evaluation report, which includes an individualized list of recommendations for the family. The physician then decides the final medical diagnosis, if any, and provides the results to the family for continuity of care.
What To Expect
Anyone can make a referral to our PAAD Clinic! We will add your child to our wait list and gather all necessary paperwork from your child’s physician. Someone will contact you to confirm your placement on the wait list and gather any additional information by phone. There is no packet of paperwork required by our clinic! Once your child is at the top of our wait list, we will begin the evaluation process. Since we serve young children through the PAAD Clinic, we purposefully divide your appointments up into different days which allows for better assessment participation, multiple opportunities to view behaviors and skills, and avoids testing fatigue. Your child’s testing process will likely include: an hour-long phone interview to gather medical and developmental history and complete an autism-specific interview (from the comfort of your home), speech and/or occupational therapy evaluations (if not already done by an outside agency), and an in-person autism evaluation alongside a developmental evaluation. Once all assessment pieces are complete, your child’s report will be sent to your pediatrician for their review and diagnosis. We will contact you to let you know once they have reviewed the report so you can reach out to them to receive the results and a copy of the report. We look forward to helping you and your family through this process!
Wait Times
Our current wait list is 3 to 4 months from referral to beginning the evaluation process. With many other diagnostic clinics across the state having wait lists of 1 to 2 years, we are very proud to be able to provide our families with answers and support in a timely manner.
Insurance Information
The PAAD Clinic currently accepts Medicaid, BCBS, TRICARE, ALL Kids, and self-pay (low cost).
Locations
Huntsville
Decatur
Dothan
Partnerships
Auburn
Auburn University
Haley Center
Auburn University, AL 36849
Phone: 334-844-7676
Fax: autism@auburn.edu
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Hinton
Gadsden
Family Success Center
821 E. Broad Street
Gadsden, AL 35903
Phone: 256-547-6888
Fax: 256-547-6388
Contact: Tracy Bailey
Mobile
Goodwill Gulf Coast
2440 Gordon Smith Drive
Mobile, AL 36617
Phone: 251-307-1483
Fax: 251-307-1708
Contact: Lauren Calcagni
Birmingham
Glenwood
614 38th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35222
Phone: 205-969-2880
Fax: outpatientfax@glenwood.org
Contact: Cinda Walchli
United Ability
100 Oslo Circle
Birmingham, AL 35211
Phone: 205-944-3900
Fax: 205-413-4914
Contact: Nancy Gardner
Jasper
The Arc of Walker County
745 Russell Dairy Road
Jasper, AL 35503
Phone: 205-387-0562
Fax: 205-387-8210
Contact: Angela Washington
Montgomery
Project Wiggles & Giggles, Inc.
5921 Carmichael Road
Montgomery, AL 36117
Phone: 334-264-8887
Fax: 334-264-1605
Contact: Sheaney Marshall
TalentScout
TalentScout gives you the tools and insight to create a culture of inclusion – and build higher levels of productivity in the workplace. The toolkit content has been vetted by people with autism, and it includes their first-hand accounts and insights as job applicants and employees.