Early Intervention Changes Lives...
We know your patients are important to you, The care they get from referrals is paramount. At ABC Group Hawaii we are committed to clinical excellence and invite you to join us in helping these children lead their best lives and become the best versions of themselves.
By identifying autism sooner – as young as 12 months of age! – and immediately prescribing and intervening with evidence-based therapies like Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), we aim to serve as an extension of your medical team to provide these children a world of opportunity from the start.
We believe in partnerships and collaboration. To provide top-notch delivery of medically-necessary treatment for autism, it is essential to maintain an effective partnership with the client’s diagnosing physician/provider as well as the insurance company who is funding the medically-necessary ABA treatment. From pediatrician to psychologist, we are here to make a lasting improvement in the lives of those families we interact with.
To facilitate this relationship, we have built a system of reporting metrics on the child’s treatment plan and share this data with our partners. This information keeps everyone involved up to date on the client’s progress and future needs. Additionally, we invite and encourage the referring provider or PCP to include this report in the child’s MyChart or EHR.
Autism screening tools and autism assessment tools are not the same. Screening tools (e.g. The M-Chat) are recommended during routine pediatric check-ups. The M-CHAT-R/F is validated for children 16-30 months old. Screening tools are quick to administer (e.g. 2 minutes) and can help quickly identify possible developmental “red flags” but do not provide conclusive evidence of developmental delays nor do they result in an actual diagnosis. A diagnosis of Autism is not required to start ABA treatment, so if your patient has some signs or symptoms of ABA or has a sibling already diagnosed, please contact us to learn how to prescribe a trial of ABA treatment. Many health insurance funders allow a 6 month trial of ABA in the absence of an official diagnosis.
A positive screening result on a screening tool should always be followed up with comprehensive assessment. Many tools are available to assess ASD in young children.
Diagnostic tools usually rely on two main sources of information—parents’ or caregivers’ descriptions of their child’s development and a professional’s observation of the child’s behavior.
Specialists who assess and diagnose individuals with autism include neurodevelopmental pediatricians, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, child neurologists, geneticists, and child psychologists or psychiatrists. These specialists can also prescribe or refer a patient for ABA treatment. Once referred for ABA treatment, ABC Group will schedule the patient’s parent into a Parent Orientation which will provide the opportunity to learn more about medically-necessary ABA treatment. Soon after this orientation, an Intake Assessment with your patient will be scheduled which is required to determine prescription strength/intensity of ABA treatment and obtain authorization from the funder to begin treatment services at ABC Group.
A diagnosis of Autism is not required to start ABA treatment, so if your patient has some signs or symptoms of ABA or has a sibling already diagnosed, please contact us to learn how to prescribe a trial of ABA treatment.
Below are links to a few common screening tools and assessment tools for diagnostic providers:
If you are an insurance company, diagnostic provider interested in learning more about ABA treatment, or working with us, please contact us to learn more about our partnership process.