Where to Go for Asperger's Testing for 14 Year Old.

I am a private practicing Autism Spectrum Behavioral Specialist, so I have seen many people walk in the very shoes you are walking in. My best advice it to become your child's advocate and don't take "no" for an answer, even if it comes from a well meaning Pediatrician. There are 2 different kinds of professionals who can diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorders- Developmental Pediatricians and Child Psychologists. Your best bet is a Developmental Pediatrician, since Aspergers Syndrome is a behavioral issue, not a psychological issue, as it was once thought. The other benefit in going to a Developmental Pedi is that you will likely come out with strategies to deal with the AS. As far as Child Psych's go, there are great ones and not so great ones- it just depends on that person's experience with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Developmental Pedi's, on the other hand, specialize in this. Now, the problem that you may run into with a Developmental Pedi is that there are very few of them, they all tend to take quite awhile to get into, and they rarely accept insurance (Child Psych's are starting to go the same way). The other option, though not a wonderful one, would be to ask the school district for an assessment from the district's Diagnostician and Psych. School Districts do have the power to deny this request if your child is high functioning enough that his disability doesn't impact his classroom performance enough. Let me give you a few names of professionals that I know, and often refer clients to-

Dr. Lisa Genecove- Developmental Pediatrician
Medical City Dallas
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**EXCELLENT!!

Denise Wooten, Psy.D.
1422 W. Main Suite 206
Lewisville, TX 75067
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(This is one of the few Child Psychs that I KNOW has a great understanding of Aspergers Syndrome)

Dr. Jennifer Buchanan
4225 Wingren #117
Irving, TX
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Dr. Nancy Fitzfelder & Dr. Floyd Ostrum
Child Study Center- Ft. Worth
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Dr. Kathy Roberts
Developmental Pediatric Services
2222 Welbord St. #4
Dallas, TX 75219
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I have seen multiple families deal with each of these doctors/ professionals. From my experience, if it were my child, I would do everything I could to get into Dr. Lisa Genecove. Whoever you end up seeing, make sure to get them to refer you to a good Behavioral Therapist who can give you strategies to work through AS. Best of luck to you!!

RA recommended Dr. Wooten, and I couldn't agree more. She would be wonderful, and has thorough knowledge of Asperger's. She is very kind, listens, and is just super.

Another doctor our neurologist recommends is Dr. Linda Felini-Smith (I believe she works with a partner now as well):
###-###-####, she is in Dallas.

I don't believe either accept insurance, so it would be out of pocket. I do know Dr. Wooten works on a siding scale (or did). Best of luck.

I have a son that seems to run parallel to yours. I have tried unsuccessfully to locate Dr. Lisa Genecove. Which route did you eventually pursue? Any tips for me?

My son was tested for Autism in Feb of this year at Children's Hospital and they did a Great job. Dr Beckett is the one who did most of the testing. We were there for about 4-5 hrs. If you would like more info Please let me know. It usually takes a few wks to get in so the sooner you call the better.
Good Luck and I hope this helps.
M.

Cook Childrens Behavioral health in Denton, TX off Teasly lane! My son was recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, he is 13. This has been a life long battle that we finally can put a name to thanks the Cooks. He went 4 times over 3 months, they test a LOT all day over 3 of the days. There is extensive paperwork, medical history etc.. They are great though, very thorough! I would recomend them to anyone whose kids are having any behavior issues etc or have seen multiple doctor's that try to tag them with every diagnosis under the sun or just write prescriptions.
You can have the testing done quicker, it took me this long to arrange appointments and get time off work.

My son is 7, diagnosed with Asperger's last year and ADHD this year. I pursued the school district for evaluations and testing and they eventually diagnosed him. It had rough patches during the process but in the end they were very helpful. The Child Study Center has a year long wait list.

I would suggest to you to go see Dr. Nancy Block. She's a top selling author on ADD, ADHD, AS, etc. and is an international expert. She's fairly reasonable and easy to get in to. You can check her website out at www.blockcenter.com and her office is at 1750 Norwood in Hurst. Numbers are ###-###-#### or ###-###-####.

Good luck, D.

Also try Easter Seals of Ft. Worth... you can get on a waiting list... but it's worth it.

http://ntx.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=TXNW_...

And if you're in the LISD school district we have a Special Ed PTSA and you can get on and ask questions.

http://lisdseptsa.txpta.org/

Start by talking with his doctor, if the doctor wont listen and take you serious then check out Dr. Benzick at Southlake Family Medical. He is my kids doctor and noticed that Gabe, my 5 year old, has autism. From there we were refered to Cook CHildrens Rehab dept. by him and to the Child Study Center in Fort Worth. I will keep him in my prayers because it is something hard to go through, I have lost most of my friends and some family over Gabes autism.