The Center for Autism

David Sams

I want to be clear that the staff was overall respectful and I do not have a personal problem with any individuals here. My clinician did use outdated language, but was never deliberately insulting or degrading. I also can't speak for their various youth programs, and as far as I know this is a fantastic place to send your child after school. The issue, as already stated by others here, is that the Center for Autism has no business screening adults. I was given a child's autism assessment. They spoke directly to me on the phone, knew very well of my age, and never said that this would be a problem. They could have easily told me, within minutes of reaching out, that they only work with children. When I finally met with the clinician, she told me that I was the oldest person she had ever worked with. In fact, the oldest person she had ever tested prior to me had been under 10. Backstory: I am 26, diagnosed with Asperger's at age 14. I was only trying to get an updated diagnosis for insurance / therapy purposes and accommodations in College. My family, being very disorganized and broken, misplaced most of my early records in the process of moving (including all vaccination, surgical, and general health records lol). So there I was: 26, sitting on a small plastic seat in front of a plastic play-table and a camera, being handed a ziplock bag of various children's toys. Sticky, worn out, likely unwashed toys. Toys you can tell have been in a child’s mouth before. I felt so uncomfortable with the COVID/sanitation factor alone that I didn't immediately process how insulting this situation was. The clinician watched me interact with these toys, taking notes, observing to see if I engaged in "imaginative play." I looked at a few nostalgic niknaks, particularly a metal pin-art board which I hadn't seen in a decade, then quickly asked for sanitizer. (I'm sure this same test can be helpful for early diagnosis/intervention. I am 26. I want just some sanitizer, please!) I was then asked to read and summarize a children's book which only contained images, you know, to see if I could follow the plot lol. The full screening was finished in about 8 minutes. After the meeting (and off the record) the clinician told me that I am "definitely high functioning," obviously referring to my masking, and perhaps perceived intelligence or language capabilities. (Cool. I'm glad that the mountain of childhood traumas, years of bullying, all those interpersonal struggles—the years spent fixating over one interest until it got in the way of my personal progress and damaged my relationships—my inability to comfort and console a partner in the form and capacity that they require—nah, don’t sweat it. I can make eye contact and recount the plot of a picture book...) I digress. I’m not personally insulted by this sort of language, nor do I put much weight on "microaggressions," as long as someone isn't deliberately attacking me. I DO think that clinicians working with individuals on the autism spectrum, however, should be aware of constantly changing theories and terminology within the ASD community. The use of “functioning” as a descriptor is widely considered outdated or derogatory: I shouldn’t need to explain this to a professional. Any idiot with internet access can sift through the Asperger/ASD reddit threads or explore published articles themselves (if they care enough about the population they work to serve). I DO have a problem with the validity of this test in general. I would not rely on these results alone. If I wasn't already diagnosed a decade prior, I would (and am still considering it, out of principle) go somewhere else for proper adult screening. I have a personal issue with them accepting my insurance and taking their paycheck (which I assume was exorbitant), as they have no real business testing adults. This feels like a scam to me. Had they been upfront with me, I could have easily called around and gone somewhere else in that timeframe. Instead, I patiently waited (read as: wasted) 6 months.

lady a

From my own personal experience & from others peers around my child The center for autism was one of the best decisions I made for my child He attended this location at the age of 2 left before it was time to go off to Kindergarten and he never needed any support classes he is a honors student it was a long and hard Journey at first but with the great support system my family had from the four road location I was able To get my child the tools he needed for school I cannot believe people had a Lot of bad reviews I could write a book on how much early intervention will help your child the best advice I can give is early intervention is the Key always put your child first never let your pride get in the way for getting help for your child we have to be there voice when they cannot have one

David Arena

Despite what they may say, the Center for Autism is not equipped to handle adults or older adolescents. Their exam rooms don't even have adult sized furniture, so you're left sitting at a kids table which makes for a very awkward experience. The doctor and staff seemed to have very little experience with older individuals and they had no available resources to offer. When I gave feedback and explained my bad experience with them, their response was even worse. It was a really disappointing experience that took 6 months from start to finish. Luckily, I was able to go somewhere else and I immediately noticed a difference in the providers, process, and resources offered.

Michael Gawlinski

The Pychs are good but the administrative side needs a massive overhaul.