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BCAAN is the name of the program operated by the Provincial Health Services Authority and other regional Health Authorities across BC. BCAAN is a network of clinicians who assess and diagnose children and youth who may have ASD. A clinician is a person with special skills and training, like a psychologist, psychiatrist or pediatrician (children's doctor). All the clinicians that are part of BCAAN use the same guidelines and standards to decide whether a child or youth has ASD.‎

The first step is to make an appointment with your family doctor or pediatrician. Once you do that, your doctor will either refer you to a specialist, or may refer you to a professional who is an expert in diagnosing ASD. 

If your child is referred to a specialist, it is helpful to include any past reports along with the referral letter. The specialist might want to see reports like:

• Physician consults
• Hearing assessments
  
• Reports from your child's infant development program or child development centre
  
• Psychological or psycho-educational reports
  
• Speech and language reports
  
• Occupational therapy
  
• Physiotherapy
  

Ask your doctor if you do not know if your child has these reports done.

Clinicians who are not part of BCAAN can also assess and diagnose children but they have to follow the Ministry of Health Standards and Guidelines for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in British Columbia, 2003" in order for you to receive funding from MCFD. If you want your child assessed by a clinician who is not part of BCAAN, talk to your doctor.

You may want to contact the Autism Society of BC (604)-434-0880 for a list of names of professionals who can privately assess your child.

Yes. All the clinicians in BCAAN must follow the same diagnostic standards that were developed by Senior Clinicians that work for BCAAN.

Unfortunately, there is a wait list for BCAAN assessments. We will do everything we can to see your child as soon as possible. 

We know that waiting is difficult. If you run into difficulties while you are waiting, contact your doctor for help. Autism BC also has a support network and a Free Waiting for Assessment Workshop.

BCAAN may mail you some questionnaires and forms before your assessment. Some of the forms are for your child's preschool or school to fill in, with your permission. You should try to fill out these questionnaires and send them to us before your child's first appointment so that we are better prepared.

It is important to use the early intervention services in your community while you are waiting. You can access these services through your local community health office. You do not need a doctor's referral to use these services. Services include:

• Infant Development Program (IDP)
  
• Child Development Centres
  
• Speech and Language Therapy
  
• Occupational Therapy
  
• Supported Child Care (SCC)

If you have any concerns about your child, please call your family doctor or specialist.

If you would like information about your child's referral and wait list status, contact the health authority where you live. 

It depends on your child's needs and where you live.

You know your child best. At least one parent or guardian needs to be at the assessments to provide information and to support your child. You can bring along another family member or caregiver for support if you wish. 

Yes. Although English is most often spoken in the clinics, we can get an interpreter to come to your appointments. You should let us know if you need an interpreter when we give you an appointment.

In most cases, we will talk with you about the results of your child's assessments after they are all finished. Once the assessments are done, your child's team will meet to talk about what they found out, and decide on a diagnosis and the best way to provide treatment. After they meet, they will contact you to set up a time to talk about the results.

You will get a written summary about your child's diagnosis at the family conference. The final reports may take up to 4-6 weeks to finish.

Yes, if you wish. It can be useful for the clinicians to talk to the people in your community who will be providing ongoing treatment and care to your child. These meetings, called community conferences, are arranged after the family conference. You decide who attends this meeting.

BCAAN provides assessments and recommendations for all children and youth we see, regardless of the final diagnosis. If a child is not diagnosed with autism, he or she may still need help. We will make specific recommendations, and will help you to get the services your child needs, including developmental, mental health, education, and social supports, among others.

Your suggestions, comments and complaints help us to improve our services. We all benefit from listening to one another. Whether it is to answer a question, solve a problem or to share a success story, it is important that we hear from you.

Just as much as we want to hear about good experiences that you have had with our services, we also want you to tell us when you have a problem so we can resolve it. Please get in touch with us in person, by telephone, mail, fax or email.

If you have a complaint, please contact your regional coordinator (see Regional coordinators at the bottom of the Assessment tab).

Specialized service and funding options may be available for children or teens who have special needs and their families