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Preparing
for Your Appointment to the UAB Autism Clinic
Setting
up an Appointment
Many children who are seen in the Autism Clinic have been referred by a medical
doctor or health care professional, due to the observation of behaviors and a
developmental course potentially consistent with an autism spectrum diagnosis.
Many other children are referred by their parents, teachers, and other service
providers. Anyone who is interested in making an appointment with the Autism
Clinic may request an information packet through the contacts listed
here. After
we receive your completed information packet, you will be contacted by a member
of our team in order to further clarify your goals for the evaluation and arrange
an appointment. This is also a good time for you ask us any questions you may
have about the evaluation process and information we ask for you to provide in
the
paragraphs below.
Payment and Insurance Information
The Autism Clinic accepts Medicaid, private insurance, and private pay clients. Medicaid patients should request that their child’s primary care physician (PMP) fax the Medicaid Patient First Referral to Sparks Clinics. The Medicaid referral should include the names of the patient, primary care physician, and parent/guardian, as well as the home address and phone number of the patient. The purpose of the referral (assessment for autism spectrum/PDD diagnosis) should also be included on the fax.
Because insurance coverage varies from policy to policy, we recommend that you verify coverage with your insurance company prior to your appointment. If you need to obtain an authorization number through your insurance please inform them that the evaluation may need to occur over several visits. It is your responsibility to notify your insurance to obtain pre-approval and approval for additional visits.
Providing Important Information
For this evaluation to be meaningful and thorough we will need additional information from you and other agencies and providers where your child has been seen. Several forms will be sent to you after you contact our clinic for you to fill out and return. Please check the correct answers and fill in the blanks as thoroughly as possible. We understand that these forms will take significant time and effort, however, by doing so, we will have a better understanding of your child prior to the visit.
Your responses are an essential part of the evaluation. It is important that we also receive medical and other testing from your child’s current and previous providers. Examples of previous providers include: Schools, Pediatricians, Neurologists, Speech/Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Audiologists, Optometrists, and Psychologists or other Mental Health professionals. We generally request information from your child’s pediatrician and the provider who made the referral. If your child is currently in school, it will be very helpful to have both the school’s evaluation report and the most recent Individualized Education Plan (IEP). You may also provide us with any additional information which you feel will help in the evaluation.
Helpful Suggestions for the Day of Your Child’s Evaluation
In order to obtain the most valid evaluation possible, please:
- Try to arrange for your child to have a good night’s rest prior to testing. Some families who travel long distances to our clinic find it useful to arrange to spend the night in the Birmingham area.
- Your child should have a good breakfast and take any regularly prescribed medication on the day of testing.
- Make sure you bring any visual or hearing corrective devices, such as glasses or hearing aids, to the evaluation. Notify our staff of their use.
- Testing can take 4-5 hours, so be prepared to stay all morning. You are welcome to bring a snack, a comfort object, some preferred toys, etc. that may be helpful for your child while he/she is waiting through the parent interview portions of the evaluation.
- It is VERY important that you bring another person with you such as the child’s other parent, a grandparent, babysitter, uncle or aunt that is familiar with your child. This second person can help care for your child while you participate in the comprehensive clinical interview.
Feel free to bring information about your child’s early development with you to the appointment, such as his/her “baby book”, milestones calendar, or early photographs.
Appointment Contact Information
You can contact the Autism Clinic by calling one of the Sparks Clinics main numbers below. Click here for more detailed information that will help you prepare for your visit to the UAB Autism Clinic.
Phone numbers
Birmingham Metro local number 205-934-5471
Toll-free long distance 1-800-822-2472 (choose option “8” Sparks Clinics)
Street Address:
Community Health Services Building
930 20th Street South
Birmingham, Alabama 35294-2041
Additional Information About Our Location
Map
1. Metro area with interstates
and Hwy 280. Our location is marked by
the red star.