Evaluations
When you're not sure how to help your child, an evaluation can be the best place to start. North Star provides evidence-based evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults. Evaluations can provide information that helps guide and support the individual's next steps.
While some components of the evaluations below can be completed via telehealth, our evaluations are offered in person in our office in Edison, New Jersey.
Autism Evaluations for Children
We aim to provide evaluations that are comfortable and engaging for the children we work with, and supportive of the caregivers who care for them. Our evaluations always begin with a comprehensive caregiver interview in which the parents or caregivers provide information about the child's development and educational history. On a separate day, our evaluations in our office in Edison, New Jersey include a cognitive evaluation and a series of play activities and (if appropriate) conversations that allow us to see how your child interacts in different contexts. We can assess for other concerns in addition to autism, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or anxiety. Our diagnostic evaluations include the following:
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Developmental history interviews with individual and/or parents
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Direct interactions and observations, using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule
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Assessment of cognitive skills
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Evaluation of adaptive skills, such as vocational, self-help, and leisure skills
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Evaluation of social skills using individual and/or parent report
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As needed, information gathered from teachers and school setting
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Follow-up meeting to review the results of the evaluation and identify next steps for support
Learn about the autism services we offer children diagnosed with autism.
Autism Evaluations for Teens and Adults
Our evaluations balance reliance on established tools for diagnosis with support and validation for the adolescent or adult seeking the evaluation. To that end, the individual and their experiences are central to our assessment process. We anchor our evaluations in an interview with the adolescent or adult, and layer in other assessment tools as they seem appropriate. Your evaluation may include:
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A clinical interview about your development and experiences
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Interview with a parent, partner, or spouse
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Direct interactions and observations in our office in Edison, New Jersey
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Assessment of cognitive skills
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Evaluation of adaptive skills, such as vocational, self-help, and leisure skills
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Evaluation of social skills using individual and/or report from a parent, partner, or spouse
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Follow-up meeting to review the results of the evaluation and identify next steps for support
Learn about the autism services we offer teens and adults diagnosed with autism.
Autism Program Evaluation
Today's educational programs for autistic children and adolescents are held to high standards. School programs must be designed to meet the needs of a diverse range of students, and incorporate best-practice strategies to support some of our most vulnerable learners. Program evaluations, conducted by an independent clinician from outside of the school program, can help ensure that school programs are providing the highest quality education to the individuals they serve. Program evaluations can also be designed to be student-specific, to evaluate the fit of a program for an individual child or adolescent. Program evaluations are data-based and include the following:
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Classroom observation
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Record review
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Staff interviews
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Parent interviews
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Clear recommendations for programmatic improvement
Neuropsychological Assessment
For children, adolescents, or young adults who need clarity regarding the concerns they face, a neuropsychological evaluation can provide a diagnosis and help identify the strengths and challenges for the individual. This type of assessment can provide guidance for parents and clinicians in the type of treatment or support that will be most helpful. Neuropsychological assessments can be used to diagnose anxiety, depression, ADHD, tic disorders, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuropsychological assessments may include the following:
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Developmental history interviews with caregivers
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Assessment of cognitive skills in our office in Edison, New Jersey
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Evaluation of adaptive skills, such as vocational, social, self-help, and leisure skills
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Measures of executive functioning
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As needed, information gathered from teachers and school setting
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Follow-up meeting to review the results of the evaluation and identify next steps for support
Learn about the therapy services we offer teens and adults diagnosed with anxiety,
depression, ADHD, tic disorders, and other mental health or behavioral concerns,
Psychoeducational Assessment
Children and adolescents who experiences challenges in school may benefit from a comprehensive assessment of their cognitive and academic skills. These assessments can be used to identify learning disabilities in the areas of reading, writing, or math, and can be used to inform curricular programming at school. Psychoeducational assessments may include the following:
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Developmental history interviews with caregivers
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Assessment of cognitive skills in our office in Edison, New Jersey
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Assessment of academic achievement in our office in Edison, New Jersey
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Evaluation of adaptive skills, such as vocational, social, self-help, and leisure skills
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Curricular assessments commonly used to guide school, home, and community programming
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As needed, information gathered from teachers and school setting
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Follow-up meeting to review the results of the evaluation and identify next steps for support