Our Clinic

At the Neurodevelopment Assessment Clinic (NDAC), we welcome children, teens and young adults with known or suspected autism spectrum disorders or autistic learning styles. Our approach is multi-disciplinary and multi-method, and adheres to best-practice assessment procedures. We provide not only a diagnosis, but also comprehensive treatment plans and recommendations for services.

The NDAC Model

  • We begin each assessment by asking what you hope to learn, and focus our assessment on your specific goals.
  • We work with you to establish your family’s narrative, gathering a diagnostic history and also examining school records, testing records, and videos.
  • We use standardized psychological measures along with play sessions and informal interviews to get to know your family.

NDAC Assessments

Diagnostic Assessment 

  • We use autism-specific assessment (ADOS) and cognitive, language and adaptive behavior functioning to reach a DSM-5-TR diagnosis
  • Our diagnostic reports focus on recommendations for specific treatment strategies, behavior and teaching methods and motivators—as well as the usual recommendations for hours and types of services

Differential Diagnostic Assessment 

  • If it’s not an autism spectrum disorder, what is it?
  • Is it an autism spectrum disorder plus something else?
  • How should treatment be modified for multiple diagnoses?

Learning Assessments  

  • How do you, or your child, learn and what barriers must be overcome for them to learn better?
  • What evidence-based treatments are available to help you, or your child, learn and find fulfillment?

Diagnostic Re-Assessment

  • Diagnoses change as youth grow.  Diagnosis is a ‘short-hand’ for treatment needs so re-assessment can help re-focus treatment plans.

 

Parents can self-refer for an NDAC assessment. We also welcome referrals from medical and education colleagues. Assessment follows clinical guidelines in California SB946 for medically-necessary, evidence-based diagnostic evaluation.

Contact our Clinic Coordinator by phone at 415-391-3417 or via email at [email protected].

ACNC staff in this program