Advocates for Families provides individualized biomedical evaluations, therapies, and pediatric care in a nurturing atmosphere and teaches the model of recognizing and addressing the uniqueness of every patient and family.
Consultations for autism spectrum disorders.
Go
Advocates for Children is permanently closed as of December 2, 2022
Advocates for Families specializes in biomedical treatments for autism and other developmental disorders. This information is intended to give you basic information and guidelines to prepare you for your first visit to our office.
Working with children with disabilities is difficult for both families and practitioners. While we are here to partner with you in this difficult work, each child is an individual and requires his/ her own treatment plan. Your child’s progress will hinge not only on our plan of care but on your commitment to its implementation. What we will ask you to do will not be easy but we will support you through it.
Due to the complex nature of treating children with autism, Advocates for Families does not accept insurance. We are happy to provide families with detailed billing statements that can be submitted to private insurance companies. Payment in full is due at the time of service. Because we do not participate with insurance, Advocates for Families cannot be responsible for insurance referrals, prior authorizations, etc. All negotiations must be done by the patient's family or primary care physician. Please note that phone consultations can be filed with your insurance company but are not generally considered a covered service by most commercial insurances.
Fee Schedule (effective September 1, 2007 for all new and current patients)
All appointments
Initial consultation, Lab review, Phone consultation,
Follow-up consultations for treatment planning and
patient education$500/hour (as of 3/1/2018) Nutrition education and coordination of care by support staff $50/hour (as of 3/1/2015)
Our experience has been that families are more successful in retaining information and implementing treatment when they have shorter, more frequent appointments. The average initial evaluation and treatment plan takes about 3 hours depending on the complexities of the child. We strongly recommend scheduling these appointments over several days or weeks especially if utililizing other clinic services.
Our telephone is answered 24 hours a day. All after hours or weekend calls will be returned by the physician or nurse on call. However, if your child requires medical care between 11:00PM and 6:00AM you will be referred to the emergency room. This telephone service is available for our primary care patients only. All other patients will need to call for assistance during regular office hours.
Fill this (and the Neurodevelopmental Intake Form below) out with as much detail as possible. The packet will need to be mailed to the office along with $300.00 non-refundable intake fee before we can schedule your appointment. This fee will be applied toward your initial visit. The completed new patient packet, intake questionnaire, and $300.00 deposit must be received before your appointment will be scheduled. We accept cash, check, Visa, and Mastercard.
Laboratory tests are an important part of your evaluation. In order for us to customize your treatment plan, our doctors will recommend lab tests based on your child’s individual history and assessment. Lab tests will be recommended at your first visit. Some of these tests may be covered by your insurance; however, the specialized tests are rarely covered and can be expensive. Develop a budget for these types of services and communicate it clearly with us during your initial visit. We will make every attempt to stay within your budget. Because these labs are extensive we will not be able to give results over the telephone. Many of the labs will be reviewed at your follow-up consultation. However if additional lab work is done, it is your responsibility to schedule a follow-up visit either in office or by phone consult with a physician.