Assessment Visit
Your Assessment Visit Host:
Sydney Messer
Assessments are performed at the Marcus Autism Center.
Cognitive assessment (1.5-2 hours):
Includes matching blocks to a pattern, visual puzzles, assessments of memory, and other tests.
Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (*for children with an existing diagnosis) (approximately 1 hour)
In addition, we ask parents to complete questionnaires about your child’s behavior, social interactions and family history. (approximately 35 minutes)
FAQ
What will the assessments be like?
There will be some questionnaires that you will fill out about your family history and your child’s skills, abilities, and social behaviors
Some assessments will be more hands-on and interactive. We will ask your child to do some activities (e.g. puzzles, riddles) that will test his or her cognitive abilities (e.g. memory)
Where does the social and cognitive assessment visit take place?
This visit will take place at the Marcus Autism Center on
1920 Briarcliff Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
How long will the visit take?
If the participant is completing a WISC-V assessment only, the visit may be around 1.5-2 hours.
If the participant is completing a WISC-V and ADOS, the visit may take around 3.5-4 hours.
What should I bring with me to my visit?
Please bring a valid ID to receive a visitor badge upon arrival.
You are encouraged to bring any snack or toy items that might be helpful for your child to have during their visit or break time.
What can I expect to occur during the visit?
Our research coordinator, Sydney, will meet with you and your family on the second floor to greet and bring you back to an assessment room (see photo example of an assessment room).
Your child’s consent to participate in the study is the upmost importance to us. During this visit, Sydney will go through a version of the consent with the language being tailored to school-age children to verbalize what they will be agreeing to be a part of. If your child is eleven years or older, there will be an electronic signature they can sign their name (as best as they can) to agree to participate. For children ten years and younger, a verbal consent is acceptable. Consent is an on-going process throughout the study, so if any point in the study if your child chooses to no longer participate, we will honor that request.
Once in the assessment room and your child agrees to participate, you will meet with one of the clinicians on our research team who will be working with your child. The clinician will be completing brain games and puzzles with your child related to language and thought. If there is a question that might be difficult for them to answer, that is completely fine, and the clinician can skip to a different question.
Can I be in the room with my child during the assessment?
Absolutely, you are welcome to accompany your child to the assessment room and remain in the room with them during their visit.
What if I must bring my child’s sibling who is not enrolled in the study?
That’s okay, you are welcome to bring them to the visit! We can provide childcare during the visit so you can observe your child during the assessment. If childcare is needed for the assessment or scan visit, please let Sydney know in advance and we can make sure to have extra team members on hand to provide childcare during the visit.
Can I have a report of the scores my child completes during the visit?
We do provide a summary report of the scores that your child completes during the visit at your request. The report may take 1-2 weeks to complete.
Do you provide school excuse forms to attend the visit?
We do! If you need a school excuse form, please let our coordinator, Sydney, know and she can provide you with one on the day of your visit.