Wheeler has begun providing autism spectrum evaluation services for youth ages 3 and up for families enrolled in Medicaid.
“We know that families with Medicaid often have difficulty accessing evaluation services,” Susan Walkama, president and CEO of Wheeler, said in a news release. “They may not know where to turn. Our services provide an accessible and effective option.”
Autism evaluations are offered at Wheeler’s location at 91 Northwest Drive in Plainville, and involve a multidisciplinary team approach that assesses the child’s behavior. The team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, speech and occupational therapists, medical professionals and others based on the particular family’s needs.
Parents typically must have an autism-specific evaluation conducted and a confirmed diagnosis of autism before they can begin treatment services paid for by Medicaid, the release said.
Wheeler has served children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders for decades and the new evaluation service builds on expertise and experience developed through Wheeler’s Diagnostic Assessment and Referral Team (DART), Birth to Three, education services and other Wheeler programs.
