Emory Autism Research Center | Autism PDD

Has anyone been to the Emory Autism Research Center in Atlanta? If so, what can you tell me about it? Any opinions or information would be helpful.

Last Friday the ped said ds was on the spectrum of autism and that it was some sort of pdd. She gave us a referral for a dev ped and ST. Emory said the earliest appt they have is 10 months from now!! (I called all the other dev ped in the area and this seems to be the norm) DS is on a cancellation list, and will have a higher priority b/c of his age, so hopefully he will get in sooner than 10 months! Whenever that appt is, is when he will get the psych eval and the official dx. We do have an "information meeting" at Emory this week to discuss ds. They will do an initial assessment to roughly determine where ds falls on the spectrum and recommend a course of action. Can anyone tell me what to expect?

Per Emory's recommendation, I've contacted our state's early intervention program and am waiting for them to schedule an evaluation for ds. We have a speech evaluation scheduled for later this month.

Thanks for any information you can provide!

Christie
DD 4.5, DS 2.5 on the spectrum, & DD 6 mo

Christie,

I don't have any information about Emory but I don't live far from there so would love to read of your experiences when you are able to get in. Our son is very high functioning and we've only had the diagnosis (pdd-nos) for a few months so I'm still learning what resources are available in the area. Are you far from the Marietta area? We see an adolescent psych who is knowledgeable in the area of autism (although it is not his documented specialty.) I don't know if he treats young children or not - I would tend to think he does because he uses space in a pediatrician's office (his wife is a pediatrician). Anyway, we've been very pleased with him - I'd be happy to give you more information if you think it might be of help while you wait for the appt at Emory.

Sue

Hi Sue! Thanks for your response. I live in Kennesaw. We have our information meeting at Emory on Tuesday. I'll warn you now, if you are looking for a dev ped in the area, there are very few! And the waiting lists are quite long!

I've heard really great things about Emory and also the Marcus Institute. I was hoping someone on here could give me some feedback though... The Marcus Institute told us the earliest they could see us is next March!

I will be sure to let you know what I find out on Tuesday. And depending on what they say, I may be interested in your dr's info!

Thanks,
Christie Christie ~ I sent you a PM. SueI went to hear one of the leading docs from Emory during the spring. Worth the wait. They sound wonderful. One of their graduates is now my son's behaviorist. She is marvelous. I have a feeling that you are going to be very happy with the program and facility. I wish we had them here. Let us know how you fare.I was VERY pleased w/ Emory yesterday!! Emory's Autism Center is a part of Emory University. From my research, it's one of the top research centers in the South. I was really impressed w/ them!

Yesterday we did an informational meeting, where they asked lots of questions and they observed his behavior. I told her that so many of the behaviors we are dealing w/ seemed like typical 2 behavior just a little more extreme, and some of the behaviors we didn't even realize were occurring. We were there for 2 hours. They said they couldn't make an official dx w/out the psych eval, but that he exhibited characteristics of autism, asperger's, and pdd-nos. And since it's such a fine line that seperates them from one another she didn't want to guess.

They provided us w/ lots of information and suggestions. When asking us how we handled different situations, she said that we are using a lot of ABA techniques and other techniques already, that they would suggest during therapies. So that was good to know. I had no idea they were therapies, they just seemed like good parenting to me...

So anyway, now we wait for the appt. Hopefully there will be a cancellation by someone and we will get in sooner than later. Right now there is a 10 month waiting list for an appt. Everywhere else I called has a waiting list at least as long.

I'm really glad we were able to get in there. And judging by the time they took yesterday, how thorough they were, and all the care we were given, I think we are probably in really great hands!

Christie

Glad you had such a great experince!!

God Bless you & keep you safe!

LINDA...aka Tony'sMom....aka MWN64

I'm glad that your sessoin went well. It sounds like you are already on your way to success. I firmly believe that god gives us the wisdom for bringing up our kids if we would but listen and observe carefully.

Hang in there.