Capital Area Autism Network

Congrats to the next class of students at Community LSU, BRCC's Program for Successful Employment, and across the state!

In the Capital Area, the waiting list for a comprehensive developmental evaluation is measured in months, not weeks. For many families, it stretches past a year.

The window for early intervention closes around age five.

Parents are doing that math. And they are doing it alone, without a system that was designed to help them.

In this week's NeuroPulse, Drew introduces Rachel, a composite parent who knew something was different about her son Eli at eighteen months, spent fourteen months on a waiting list to confirm it, and then discovered that a formal diagnosis opens almost no doors automatically. The clinical system and the educational system do not communicate. The referral to the school district has to come from the family. The bridge has to be built by the parent.

This is where the Silo Tax begins. Before the IEP. Before the transition cliff. Before the waiting list for adult services.

Read the full article: https://shorturl.at/8J2ny

If you are navigating the diagnostic process right now in the Capital Area, CAAN wants to hear from you. Your experience is the evidence that changes how this system is built. Reach out at [email protected].

Before the Diagnosis — Capital Area Autism Network The window for early intervention is closing. The waiting list is eighteen months long.