The CADI Program is for children under the age of 7 years. Els for Autism transdisciplinary CADI team of specialists includes professionals in the areas of clinical psychology, special education, speech-language pathology, and applied behavior analysis.
The acronym, CADI, was not a coincidence. Just as a golf “caddie” guides and supports a golfer through a round of course, our “CADI” team will walk side-by-side with you and your family, providing information, recommendations and support throughout the identification, evaluation, and intervention process.
Our team of highly skilled professionals provides a comprehensive evaluation and report which includes a profile of strengths and weaknesses, recommendations that can be used in the development of treatment goals, and a formal diagnosis of ASD, as applicable.
Els for Autism is proud to announce that we are one of the few organizations in the country utilizing the new clinically validated, FDA-authorized EarliPoint™ autism evaluation tool. The use of EarliPoint assists our CADI team of clinicians in diagnosing children ages 16 to 30 months old who are showing signs of ASD.
Utilizing EarliPoint also supports our team of clinicians in seeing more families with decreased wait times while still providing a gold-standard autism evaluation. To watch the news report on the first child our team of clinicians assessed utilizing EarliPoint and read a more in-depth testimonial from his parents, click here.
Financial support may be available.
Download CADI Brochure
Watch a special news report featuring the first child our team of clinicians assessed utilizing EarliPoint.
More about CADI
Development Milestones:
Signs of autism are often present before a child reaches two years of age. Below is a list of important developmental milestones to look for as your child grows:
- Shares interest or enjoyment through eye gaze
- Responds by looking when his or her name is called
- Uses gestures to communicate
- Uses coordinated non-verbal communication (combining eye gaze and word/gestures)
- Plays with toys appropriately
- Enjoys playing social games (peekaboo, pretend with dolls or stuffed animals)
- Says at least 50 words
CADI Program Process
A Clinical Care Coordinator offers support to families from their initial contact with Els for Autism through evaluations and follow-up
Phone interview:
A phone interview is conducted to learn about your family’s specific needs and provide an overview of the entire evaluation process.
Evaluation:
Standardized and informal assessments, including gold-standard ASD diagnostic tools, will be administered to both parents and child over the course of two days.
Assessment tools may include:
- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)
- Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R)
- Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-3rd Edition (Vineland-3)
- Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL)
- Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS-DP)
- Preschool Language Scales-Fifth Edition (PLS-5)
- EarliPoint™
Reporting:
A comprehensive final report of scores, impressions, and recommendations for treatment is sent to the family. A meeting is conducted with the family to review the report.
Collaboration:
Team members are available to communicate with primary care physicians or other therapy providers and guide families to resources, services, and support.
Financial assistance is reserved for clients enrolled in programs and services at Els for Autism. Complete the Financial Aid Application here.
