0 to 16 years
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The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Address: 2500 Red Hill Ave #100 | Santa Ana, CA 92705
- Rating: 3.60 (45 reviews)
Insurances: | No info provided |
Ages Served: | 0 to 16 years |
Care Settings: | In-clinic, Virtual, |
About The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
The Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CANDO) provides comprehensive clinical services to children with autism spectrum and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Launched in 2013, CANDO draws on the research and clinical expertise of the Shriver Center, the larger UMass Medical School, and UMass Memorial Health Care to offer individual and family need-based evaluation and treatment services by an interdisciplinary team of specialists. In addition, assistance and guidance in accessing school and community resources is provided.
Services
Conditions Supported
Autism
Behavioral Disorders
ADHD
Care Settings
In-clinic
Virtual
Age Ranges Served
Languages
English
Spanish
2500 Red Hill Ave #100,CA,92705
Get in Contact
- (949) 267-0400
- thecenter4autism@uci.edu
Reviews
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I recently moved from another state and I am struggling to find a doctor for continuing care for my sons autism. I spoke with two different office staff members here and both were extremely rude. I have called many other offices and I myself work in the front office of a medical facility and no one else spoke down to me like the staff here did. Instead of explaining to me why my son wasnt a good fit they especially the woman in the front office treated me like an idiot for calling. When asked what children who have already been diagnosed do for care I could feel the annoyance that I even called let alone darned to ask questions. Again I have called many offices looking for care and noone else has been so rude. If I heard a fellow coworker speak to patients the way they did to me I would be so embarrassed. Hopefully the doctor is amazing to make up for the rest of the office.
I regret every day of my life that I was referred to this center. Impossible waitlists and delays with scheduling. When you finally get an appointment they will cancel it and reschedule months later. This causes delays with obtaining servicestherapies that my child desperately needs. They refuse to release reports so that I can get services elsewhere. This forces me to start all over at another place. I would do anything to save even one parent from having to go through all the unnecessary stress of dealing with this center. They really are the worst.
Dr. Sara Bollens is an extraordinary person who has helped our family tremendously by doing psychological testing for my daughter at the Center after her autism diagnosis. She is warm knowledgable and a great asset to the fascility. She does not only care for her patients but also shows regard and genuine care for the parents as well. I am forever grateful to Dr. Bollens and look forward to having our paths cross again at the Center for Autism in Costa Mesa. Warmest regards Ivana
This place has atrocious customer service. Staff intake coordinator never returns calls. I was told by my childs therapist that COA would help me complete the intake forms including providing extensive medical information during the time of intake which is an outright lie. Ive tried for more than one year just to get on the waitlist for testing and I was just told that I need to start the intake process all over again by completing 19 pages of forms. In the meantime the child continues to have escalating mental health hospitalizations and I cant even get info on Autism support groups in the area. Its outrageous and unacceptable. It seems that there must be regulatory oversight that allows for registering formal complaints with this joke of an agency. Its inhumane how they treat potential patients and their family.
It took me 2 weeks to reach them. It was very very complicated and they transfer me to different departments and each time I got different information. Thanks to my logic I was able to find the right one myself. No responses for phone calls and left messages. So I visited them. Finally I was able to find the office STILL try to make an appointment and they said it take 9 months waiting list just to get an appointment. I filled their new patient form they gave me and that is all. No confirmation nothing. I wont be surprise if they trash it. I got it they signaled me Do not bother us. It was a very bad experience. Looking for another option.
91919 It is too hard to contact them. I have been calling them for two weeks. Nobody pickup the phone. I believe that EDD or DMV has better contact service.92719 Finally I talked with staff and submitted new patient package. They told me I should wait 6 weeks for the review111419 New patient package review was done. And I got a new authorization from my insurance for my son developing test. Yes. They still... never pick up the phone.112019 Fortunately the staff picked up the phone for the scheduling. She told me the earliest date is 12820 What My insurance authorization effective date is around end of December 2019. Now... I do not know what I have to say...
We were given the run around here. We were put on a waiting list for over a year and a half. Phone calls were never returned. When I finally talked to someone they said my daughter was too old to receive services. The director was rude lacking respect understanding or compassion for the hoops special needs parents have to jump through to obtain help for their kiddos.
The center has been a blessing for our family since moment we got the diagnosis for our son. They were able to provided resources that included workshops to understand what Autism is. And connected us to many services to support our son. He was non verbal and now he is bilingual. Some of the referrals were to speech ABA and OT therapy. The journey was not easy but now our son is in on a mainstream class with no support. Thank you for your constant support on our sons care at The center. I highly recommend The center for the professionalism of their staff and care at all levels. Since the moment you enter is a friendly environment were kid with exceptional needs can feel welcome.
I LOVE DR. LERNER ELIZABETH and MAUREEN They have ALWAYS treated us like family and ALWAYS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO HELP My daughter has been with them for over 13 yearsI cant believe you negative haters out there that bad mouth them They have a wait list due to the fact they are in such huge demandThey were there for us when everyone else turned us away I have the utmost respect and gratitude for them I will forever be grateful You will never meet any other people in this field as wonderful caring giving supportive or loving as themThey have helped our my daughter and myself countless times and never thought twiceAll you haters out there are missing out on getting to know the most special kind hearted people you will ever meet Thats by far a huge loss for youThank you with all my heart and soul toDr. Lerner Elizabeth and Maureen Taylor and I would not be where were at now if itt werent for you It is an honor to have such spectacular people in our livesWe love you all Love AlwaysJamie Taylor Troccoli
I definetly want to recommend this place. I Love this place. My son has been receiving treatment for 5 years. After waiting for 6mths I was finally able to get in Thanks to Elizabeth. She help me out by scheduling my appointment after expressing my concerns. Shes very friendly and helpful. I dont have words to express my gratitude to her. Im very happy at this place. My son has got the best treatment. If it wasnt for ELIZABETH I would be lost. To The Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders I have to let u know u have a valuble employee.
Frequently Asked Questions
0 to 16 years
Both
2 hours
Yes
A formal ASD diagnosis, or a medical diagnosis, helps you get the support your family needs, especially within the context of accessing medically necessary therapies and services.
- Insurance Coverage for Therapies: Medically necessary therapies for ASD are often covered by insurance including, but not limited to, speech therapy, ABA therapy, and occupational therapy.
- Financial Support: A diagnosis is required when applying for social security or disability benefits.
- Plan for Care: A diagnosis helps identify your child’s support needs. For example, your child might need to develop social communication and self-regulation skills.
- Future Research: The more data we gather through evaluations, the more we can improve services for autistic children and adults.
Check out Autism Diagnosis: The Complete Guide for Parents for more information.
1 in 36 children is diagnosed with autism according to the latest reports.
Here are some reasons why:
- Medical professionals understand autism better. More doctors are trained to test for autism and other developmental and language delays.
- The definition of autism has evolved in recent years which means that an autism diagnosis covers more conditions to help more people get the services they need.
For more information check out Common autism diagnosis questions: Answers from Dr. Melanie Hsu
Yes, but there is room for improvement. We don’t have a single, perfect diagnostic tool for autism and there are a lot of factors that contribute to an accurate diagnosis. There are a few “gold standards” that are used for diagnosis.
Speech therapy is almost always recommended for autistic children since many people with autism have difficulty with social communication. Even if a child is very verbal and says a lot of words, they might need to work on communication skills like:
- responding to questions
- starting or ending conversation
- changing conversation topics
- using gestures like pointing
- understanding other people's body language
Speech therapy is a big focus in early intervention for autistic children and is usually the starting place for recently diagnosed kids. There is a critical period in the brain for language development and so, it's really important to teach language and communication skills as early as possible, especially if there are any delays in that area. Your child will learn effective ways to communicate which will help them grow into more independent and confident individuals.
It might be obvious when a child struggles with speaking —they are very quiet, say only a few words, or don't speak at all.
Spot speech and language delays like a doctor here.
Get in touch with The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders
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