As with any doctor’s visit, all new patients must complete new client paperwork that we are required to have on file. To ensure that your appointment begins on time, we strongly recommend that new clients print and complete the new client paperwork prior to your appointment and bring it with them – forms may be found on the FORMS tab in the menu! If you are unable to print out and complete these documents ahead of time, please plan to arrive shortly before your appointment start time to complete the packet. Your appointment cannot begin until ALL new client forms have been completed; unfortunately late arrival to your appointment and/or failure to bring in completed paperwork will result in reduced time the provider will be available to spend with you during the initial intake appointment, or possible the need to reschedule the appointment. Please be aware that the new client paperwork found in the link above is DIFFERENT from the online inquiry form.

New Client Paperwork

If you have chosen to print and complete the new client paperwork ahead of time, please bring all of the required documents with you. Forms are located in the FORMS tab of our menu.

Legal Documents

If parents are divorced/separated/never married, you MUST provide a copy of the parenting plan and legal documents identifying parental custody and medical decision making. If you are not the child’s biological or adoptive parent, you must provide a copy of legal guardianship or power of attorney.

Records from Other Providers

If your child has been previously evaluated, please bring a copy of the report(s) provided. This is especially important if you are seeking ABA therapy, as we must have a copy of the evaluation that provides evidence of an Autism diagnosis. If your child has received services from other providers (psychiatry, speech, OT, etc.), feel free to bring any records you may have if you feel they would be helpful for us to review.

School Records

If your child has been assessed by the school or has an IEP, please bring a copy

Typically, we recommend that your child come to the initial intake interview! This gives the provider a chance to make observations and also hear your child’s thoughts, questions, concerns, etc. if they are old enough to articulate them. If there is sensitive information you wish to discuss with the provider without your child present, feel free to let the provider know when they greet you in the lobby! While we do not have childcare available, your child may remain in the lobby while you speak privately to the provider (if he/she is old enough to do so) during part of the session.

For most services (with the exception of Gifted Testing), the first step is the Initial Intake New Client Interview. During the intake, the provider will meet with the child and the child’s caregivers to gather detailed information on the child’s medical, educational, family, and social history, as well as presenting concerns. This intake will last anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes. This is your time to ask the provider any questions you may have as well! At the conclusion of this appointment, the provider will provide you with information regarding next steps, and all further appointments will be scheduled directly with the provider. Following this appointment, if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, or are running behind for your appointment, you will contact the provider directly as well.

FOR INTAKES RELATED TO COUNSELING/ MENTAL HEALTH THERAPY:

At the end of the intake, the provider will schedule a date for your child and/or the child’s caregiver(s) to return to the clinic for the next session. Typically, the provider may schedule clients for recurring weekly or bi-weekly sessions at first; however, this will depend on the client’s level of need and therapist availability.

FOR INTAKES RELATED TO APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS (ABA):

Currently, ABA therapy is only covered by insurance under the diagnosis of Autism. Please be aware, we MUST have a copy of the diagnostic report that provides evidence of your child’s diagnosis of Autism, as this is required by insurance – please provide this during the intake interview.

After the initial intake, the provider will contact your insurance company after your intake to submit for preauthorization for ABA services. Once authorization is received, the provider will contact you to schedule your child for a follow up appointment that will last between 1- to 2-hours (this appointment will often be scheduled within 2 weeks [however, timeline will vary depending on timeliness of the insurance company’s response and/or additional requests from insurance for more information]). Once authorization is obtained and the appointment scheduled, a ‘goals assessment’ will be conducted by the BCBA where they will probe different skills to get an understanding of your child’s strengths and weaknesses and develop a treatment plan with goals that are unique to your child. This plan will be submitted to insurance for approval; it may take between a few days to a few weeks for insurance to reply. Meanwhile we will get information on your child’s availability for services and staffing availability and begin to coordinate your child’s ABA therapy schedule; clients typically participate in ABA for anywhere between 6 hours up to 40 hours per week. More details can be found on our website under the ABA tab.

FOR INTAKES RELATED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING:

Please be aware that all appointments related to testing and evaluation services are scheduled at the SOUTHPOINT OFFICE location only. At the end of the intake, the provider will ensure that pre-authorization for testing is on file (if required). Please see the FAQ about insurance for more details; however, for some insurance plans, before you can be seen for your new client intake interview for testing, you will need to contact your PCM to place a referral or contact your insurance plan to determine what is required from the provider if preauthorization is needed. In the event your insurance/PCM requests CPT codes for psychological testing, they include the following: 96130, 96131, 96136, & 96137

Typically, the provider will schedule a date(s) for your child to return to the clinic for testing to be completed (unless authorization is required but not yet on file). On rare occasion, the provider may be able to complete your child’s testing the same date as your intake, immediately after the interview; the intake coordinator will inform you if this option is available.

FOR GIFTED TESTING APPOINTMENTS:

No initial intake is required for gifted testing, as this assessment is completed in just 1 session. During your first (and only appointment), your child will be scheduled for one 1.5- to 2-hour block of time during which the evaluator will briefly meet with the parent for a few minutes to gather very basic background information and then will administer the IQ test for the remaining portion of the time.

After the testing appointment, the measure will be scored, and a report will be written and provided to you via email or mail (depending on your preference) within 1 week. If you wish to schedule a meeting to review the results of the assessment, this can be done as well; however, there will be an additional charge for this brief (30-minute) feedback session.