Seeking Pediatric Behavioral Specialist

J., My name is B. and I am also a SAHM in Ellington CT. I have 4 children, 4 year old twins, a 3 year old and a 1 year old. My 3 year old is also showing signs of possible Asperger's or high functioning autism. He is getting occupational therapy at the children's hospital for sensory integration disorder, but other than that they don't really offer anything else there. There were some possibilities through the Institute of Living, but the waiting list was very long. We are seeing a child psychologist at the Family Resource Rainbow Center in Wethersfield. Her name is Dr. Jennifer Richards and she is covered by our insurance so we only pay the copay. She is confident she can diagnose him in 4-5 weeks of once a week visits. I am curious though as to what your experience was and what happened with your daughter. Just in case we need a second opinion or something. It is so hard to know something is wrong with my child, but I am just so scared that he will be misdiagnosed. I know the best thing for him is for him to be diagnosed correctly early on so he can get the best care possible and have the best shot at school. So any update you have would be appreciated!
Thanks,
B.

I use a pediatriac neurologist with her own practice in Middletown named Michelle Kleiman. Her phone number is ###-###-####. She lacks bedside mannerisms, but I like her bluntness. In addition, her own son has an autism diagnosis, so I feel like I can relate to her as a parent in addition to a doctor. I believe her waiting list is 2-3 months. You can check with your insurance, but you may find that the only "covered" doctors have 6-12 month waiting lists. In that respect, her rates are reasonable if you are unable to be reimbursed.
There is also the Center for Childhood Development in Milford that uses Dr. Erik Mayville. I can not find his number, but the center's number is ###-###-####. They have made a pledge to help families get a diagnosis within 3-5 weeks. The cost for those services used to be $2500, but they offer aid.
Good luck & please post an update.
C.

Hi J.. My 3 1/2 year old is seeing a specialist in Waterbury. We suspected he had Tourette's Syndrome (turns out to be just a movement disorder). My pediatrician recommended Dr. Bhargava. He is very good and specializes in Autistic Disorders. We were able to get in to see him almost immediately. Here is his number. ###-###-####. Hope this helps!

FYI: there is also a clinic at UConn in Storrs in the Clinical Psych training program that specializes in autism spectrum disorders. There are a lot of researchers and clinicians there studying autism spectrum disorders. UConn Psychological Services Clinic ###-###-####
Yale Child Study is excellent, but the waiting list is often quite long there.