Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic

The Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders (CADD) Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic specializes in assessing and treating children and adolescents who have autism spectrum disorder. The clinic also works with children who have developmental disabilities and co-occurring psychiatric or behavioral disorders.

Services

Comprehensive outpatient treatment services are provided.

Initial Diagnostic Assessments

The CADD Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic provides initial screenings, assessment and evaluation for children and adolescents. Staff make special efforts to obtain medical, school, and other information before the screening to maximize the value of the evaluation’s consultation. This initial screening focuses on:

• The child’s strengths, weaknesses, and current level of functioning.
• Psychiatric diagnoses and treatment options.
• Education to understand the child’s disorder and focus on treatment and advocacy issues.

Autism Assessments

CADD provides comprehensive autism diagnostic assessments, including use of the ADOS-2. Information from home, school and any prior evaluations are obtained. A detailed written report is provided to families along with specific treatment recommendations.

Medication Clinic

A specialty medication clinic provides comprehensive medication evaluation. Parents and caregivers receive education about medication risks and benefits. They receive help in monitoring the child’s symptoms and side effects and parents are asked to report changes to the treatment team.

Response to medications is documented by using standardized scales, questionnaires, and observation methods. Relevant physical markers (blood pressure, pulse, height, weight) and other laboratory tests also are monitored, as needed.

Psychosocial Treatment

A wide range of psychosocial treatment options are offered, including family, group, and individual therapy. Social skills training groups are available for children and adolescents.

Staff

The CADD Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic comprises a group of multi-disciplinary staff, including psychiatrists, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, psychologists, and counselors. We also collaborate with other specialists within the UPMC system who provide services to our patients, including neurology, gastroenterology, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.

The clinic employs staff who are trained in the use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) for those children who require additional expert autism evaluation. Staff are also trained in a number of other evidence-based treatments, including Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Program for Education and Enrichment of Relational skills (PEERS), and the RUBI Autism Parent Training Program for Disruptive Behavior.

Research

The Clinic is involved is a wide range of research activities that focus on enhancing outcomes for children and adolescents with ASD and other developmental disorders.

Children and their families are often invited to enroll in research studies that address their individual needs. Past research projects have included examining the effectiveness of interventions (e.g., PCIT, ADHD medications) as well as inviting families to participate in research registries.

Training

CADD Child serves as a training site for graduate students, residents and post-docs wishing to gain experience in working with the ASD and DD populations.