Where to go, what to do This pretty much sounds like what I am having to do ... AND it takes 6 months to get in, here! Tradeoff is, I will get a clinical diagnosis, an evaluation by several different disciplines (OT, Clin psychologist, etc.) AND therapeutic recommendations. My 7 year old son recently had an IEP that categorized him as eligible for special education services under autism.  I asked the IEP team and they agreed that while the school can't give an official diagnosis that William definitely seems to have autism and it would be in his best interest to get an official diagnosis.   Thankfully for now we seem to have a great IEP in place and are getting wonderful treatment from the school district.  I have nothing but compliments and gratitude on that front.  I know many people have difficulty getting a diagnosis and the evaluations are so hard on my son (probably on most autistic children) so I don't want to waste time and energy on something that'll lead us nowhere.  We've already been to the local Regional Center here in Los Angeles two years ago and they told us that he wasn't autistic just had sensory issues, social difficulties, and was weaker in language areas (which sort of sounds like autism to me now -- at the time I didn't know better).  Now I hear that they are infamous for under diagnosing children at this particular center.    I did speak to a friend of a friend who gave me the name of several "big names" in autism in the Los Angeles area.  I've made a set of appointments with one of them but it's going to cost us around $2200 out of pocket with no hope for insurance reimbursement.  If that is what it takes to get a proper diagnosis then we'll do it but if there's another less expensive way then that'd be wonderful.  If anyone has any ideas on where to start on getting an official diagnosis for my son in Los Angeles (particularly the Westside) I'd love some input.   You don't need a 'big name' and big money to get a diagnosis. Do you have insurance? I chose a Developmental Pediatrician an hour from my home and went to him--only had to wait two weeks for an appt. He spent 2-3 hours with us, charged about $390 of which I paid $25 co-pay. He gave her the diagnosis that day. Can you ask around and see if anyone can recommend a Developmental Ped? The "big name" doctor (Dr. Anshu Batra) doesn't have appointments until the end of August.  Not too bad but still a while away.  In that time I'd like to research other options, hopefully less expensive options.  I would love to go through insurance if I could be pretty sure that the person we were seeing was well versed in autism and recommending treatments and and and.  My insurance seems to feel that a PhD is the person to diagnose so they're giving me names and I'm trying to check them out. Just in case anyone has experience the two names I have so far are Kevin Wittenberg and David Van Zak.  I'm going to keep networking to see if I can find anyone in the L.A. area who can help.  If I can't find any other options by August then I'll just go with the big name, big bucks doctor.  Thank you both for your help and input.  I really appreciate hearing from those who've been there. I have to say that, especially in situations where the symptoms are more subtle than with classic autism, I'd definitely go to the local autism expert.  My experience with developmental pediatricians on LI is that they are really not that expert in spotting higher functioning forms of autism as compared to child psychiatrists who specialize in the field.  The cost you're quoting is typical. And it IS typical that the appointment is not covered by insurance (I have no idea why not).  It would be worth getting a medical diagnosis for future reference, especially as the child ages into adulthood.  It probably won't affect the IEP, at least not at this point, but it could keep your son out of trouble later in life and also possibly qualify him for extra help as he ages past 18.  You can't know now if he'll need more help after high school or not.  Better err on the side of "getting the evidence" early.  Your money will be paid back then.Hello! I live on the westside (Santa Monica) and sent you a PM (private message). My son was actually dx'd by dr. Batra. I think I probably have some helpful resources for you. check your inbox. Hope to hear from you soon.
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