need developmental eval in souther CA

November 2, 2007

I have been needing to get my daughter a full eval that wasn't from the school

district. I

need one that is not biased at all. All of the other ones cost big bucks so

unfortunately it

hasn't happened yet. We are able to do it now but the question is where. I

have narrowed it

down to either San Diego Children's Hospital or UCLA. I am leaning towards UCLA

even

though it is a bit of a hike and about a thousand more than Childrens. Can

anyone chime in

any preferences?

I need to go to the best because I won't have the money to get it done again.

Also I need to

go where they are qualified to see the details in high-functioning girls that

might not be so

main stream with symptoms as the usual case would be.

Thanks so much!

Rebekah

mother to Serena 6 and her siblings

November 2, 2007

We went to UCLA with both our girls. Our oldest is extremely high functioning

and had originally been given a diagnosis of Aspergers from the Regional Center

dr. UCLA changed her official diagnosis to autistic disorder. Their

explanation for this change was that it's a mistake to diagnose Aspergers solely

based on how high-functioning someone is. When a child is delayed in their

speech along with all their other autistic symptoms they rule it autistic

disorder. If the child has precocious speech (speaking early) they're more

likely to call that Aspergers. Our daughter didn't babble but she sang when she

was very young. She didn't begin to speak until after she was 2 but she started

out speaking in full sentences.

Even though her official dx is autistic disorder she identifies herself as

having Aspergers because she believes it more accurately represents her current

level of function. But, having the dx does allow her to be a regional center

client. We haven't needed any of their services yet. But, we think it's

important for her to have a case worker as she ventures out into the world.

It's a safety net in case she has difficulty with employment. She also could

have access to SSI if she does have trouble providing for herself.

My bro probably has Aspergers and has always had a difficult time being

adequately employed so this is a big concern for us.

As far as UCLA diagnosing girls, we really had an interesting experience working

with them. We talked a lot about the differences between boys and girls on the

spectrum. For instance, boys seem to have obsessions like trains or weather,

girls don't usually do that. In fact, our dd gets very bothered by boys on the

spectrum when they're obsessing over things like science or maps. She thinks

that's weird. Girls seem to be more isolated because girls generally are all

about social stuff. Boys bond over common interests so often-times boys on the

spectrum are able to make friends through their obsessions. Typical girls are

obsessed with things like fashion, which most girls on the spectrum aren't

really interested in.

Anyway, we were given a 15 page report from UCLA that continues to be helpful to

us even though it's been 5 years. The recommendations section is 5 pages long

and it details things clear into her adulthood.

Hope this helps.