Autism Program

At Phoenix Children's, our Autism Program provides a comprehensive, patient- and family-centered approach to evaluating and caring for children with autism or those who may be on the autism spectrum. Our dedicated team is here to partner with children and their families, providing personalized recommendations tailored to meet each child's unique needs and goals. Additionally, we can provide families with helpful information about community services.

Families who come to our clinic may be:

Wondering if their child may be on the autism spectrum
Seeking support for their child for management of autism and other ongoing health needs

The Autism Program is a collaboration with the Developmental Pediatrics program at Barrow Neurological Institute at Phoenix Children’s and the Psychology and Psychiatry programs at Phoenix Children’s.

Addressing the Growing Demand for Autism Evaluation

Like many health systems nationwide, Phoenix Children’s has had a significant increase in the number of families seeking autism evaluations for their children. In both the United States and Arizona, about one in 36 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. To meet this growing demand, our Divisions of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Psychology and Psychiatry have joined forces to provide comprehensive care for children recommended for autism diagnostic evaluation and ongoing management.

Diagnosis, Support and Management

Children seen in our Autism Program for diagnostic evaluation will participate in a comprehensive assessment at which time personalized recommendations will be made to help them reach their full potential. For children who are or have been diagnosed with autism, the Developmental Pediatrics program provides ongoing support to track the development and progress of your child and offers new recommendations as your child grows.

Specialized Medical Care for Co-occurring Conditions

Children on the autism spectrum may have other medical problems, genetic differences and behavioral difficulties that require specialized medical care. Identifying and treating these other conditions is important as well. Our team works with numerous specialists at Phoenix Children’s to ensure all your child’s medical needs are being met.

Reducing Stress and Improving Access to Care

We recognize that doctor appointments and medical procedures can be highly stressful for children with autism. We want to support your child and family. Our Autism Program collaborates with other hospital-based care teams to improve the experience of medical visits. For example, we work closely with our Child Life team to help ease anxieties during hospital or clinic visits.

Commitment to Research and Innovation

Our program is dedicated to advancing research, driving innovation and offering unique opportunities to our patients. This may include participation in clinical trials. This commitment also ensures that our work contributes to improving the future of healthcare for children with autism. Additional information about our advanced clinical research and breakthroughs can be found on our Research & Clinical Trials section of the website.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Continuous Learning

Our developmental providers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health providers work together to develop better ways to support children with autism and their families. Our team is dedicated to learning and growing alongside your child and family.

Contact

Please direct any questions to one of the departments below, based on your child's age:

For children younger than 4 years old, please contact the Developmental Pediatrics program at 602-933-2327.
For children 4 years up to 7 years old, please contact the Psychology program at 602-933-0414.