In order to receive autism funding in British Columbia, an autism assessment must comprise of a pediatrician’s report, a speech language assessment, and psychological assessment consisting of cognitive testing and autism testing. Dr. Ho can complete the psychological portion of the assessment and she is also excited to team up with her wonderful colleague, Sarah McGowan, who is a registered Speech Language Pathologist, to complete comprehensive assessments for families seeking a timely diagnosis.

For children under 5, it is important to find a team who has expertise in understanding early childhood development and has specialized training in working with young children.

What to expect in an autism assessment (age 5 or younger) with Dr. Ho and Sarah McGowan:

• • One virtual intake: For most autism assessments, Dr. Ho will complete the parent interview portions (i.e., clinical interview and ADI-R) virtually on a separate day as it can be hard to find childcare and many prefer to complete this in the comfort of their own home.

• • Single day in-person assessment: A speech and language assessment, cognitive testing, autism testing and feedback will all be completed during one in-person appointment. A clinical day is typically scheduled for 6 hours and on weekends to make it easier for families to come.

• • Timely diagnoses and feedback: Research shows that children who obtain an early diagnosis and early intervention obtain optimal outcomes. With majority of these assessments, we will provide families with the diagnostic outcome on the same day as in-person testing. In exceptional cases (i.e., requirement for additional testing or information from other sources), feedback is completed as soon as possible in order to not delay access to intervention.
• Comprehensive and easy-to-read report: We will write a combined, comprehensive and meaningful report  that parents can use  to access appropriate school services and other interventions.