Evaluations
Autism evaluation
You know your child better than anyone. If you're asking whether autism is part of the picture, trust your instincts.
An autism evaluation is a careful look at how your child communicates, relates, and gets through the day at home and at school. The point is answers you can use, not a rubber stamp.
Below is the evaluation itself, explained. Reading about it cannot diagnose your child.
What this is
An assessment built around your child.
A look at the question in front of you.
An autism evaluation is built around the question you are actually sitting with. It is not a pass/fail test, and it is not a label from a webpage.
How your child is functioning.
Every evaluation starts with your child rather than a checklist. We look at how they are actually doing at home and at school, gather what the question calls for, and turn the findings into a picture you can understand.
Answers you can carry.
The aim is a profile of your child you actually get, and next steps you can act on. That is strategy, not a promise about what a school or anyone else will decide.
If you are still naming the concern, start with autism. Here is the method.
Who it's for
For parents sitting with an autism question.
This evaluation is for parents of school-aged children who need a careful look at an autism question. You might be here because something at school doesn't match the child you know. You might be here because a teacher, doctor, or another evaluator raised the question. You do not need the perfect words, and you do not need a diagnosis in hand.
No single pattern settles whether your child has autism. If the concern sounds familiar, that is a reason to ask, not a conclusion.
If the larger picture is learning, attention, or a broader psychoeducational question, see psychoeducational assessments. If you want a second look after a school evaluation, see independent educational evaluations (IEEs). An IEE is an evaluation done outside the district. It is a different path from an autism evaluation, even when the questions overlap.
Crescent does not decide district eligibility from a website, and does not take a side for or against a school.
What to expect
The shape of the work, so you are not walking in blind.
- 1
Tell us what's happening.
Use the contact page. A few sentences in your own words is enough. Please do not send records, reports, or detailed health information through a public form.
- 2
We listen, then name the question.
The first conversation is about what you are seeing and what you need answered. You should leave knowing whether an autism evaluation is the right next step, or whether another path fits better.
- 3
Intake, on a private channel.
If we move forward, we will tell you what information helps and how to share it safely. That is later, not on the public form.
- 4
The evaluation sessions.
A thorough autism assessment looks at how your child communicates, relates, and functions across settings. The exact mix depends on the question. It can include ADOS (the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), a structured play and conversation session used to look at social communication and related behavior. It is not a test you pass or fail, and it is not a diagnosis by itself. Thorough work can also include collaborative or dual observation: two people watching together, so the picture is not based on a single view.
- 5
A picture you can use.
We explain what we saw in plain language and turn it into next steps you can carry. This webpage still cannot diagnose your child or tell a school what to decide.
Fees are discussed at consultation. Bring the questions that are keeping you up. We will share the load from there.
Our approach
Warmth and care do not replace rigor. They run through it.
We test for what the questions call for. We do not run every tool on every child. ADOS and dual observation are part of how Crescent has described thorough autism-assessment work. They are used when they help the question, not as a performance.
You should be able to ask, in ordinary language: What are we trying to answer? What will you look at? What will we walk away with? What can this evaluation not decide?
Crescent is an independent practice. We are not a school-district program, and we do not advocate for or against a district. Independence is how the picture stays honest.
Who you'll work with
Led by Marcia Lynn Miller, Licensed Educational Psychologist (LEP #3015).
Marcia brings more than twenty years in special education and experience on both sides of the table. Credentials do the talking.
Logistics
By appointment
Evaluations are by appointment, serving California's Central Valley and Central Coast. In person in Fresno, Madera, Merced, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties. Virtual throughout California. Call or text (559) 287‑8351, or start on the contact page.
There is no public street address, and everything is by appointment. We will tell you when and where to come once the work is a fit.
Please do not send records or a child's details through a public form.
Fees & insurance
Discussed at consultation
Fees are discussed at consultation. We will not publish a number on this page.
For the practice-wide money picture, see Fees & Insurance. A Good Faith Estimate notice is available sitewide in the footer.
Scope is worked out on the consultation call. After that call you receive a Good Faith Estimate in writing that names the areas to be assessed and what the work involves, before anything is scheduled.
Common questions
Asked before, answered plainly.
Does noticing these things mean my child has autism?
Not on its own. Trust what you are seeing, and know that you are not overreacting. A diagnosis comes from a careful look at your child rather than from a list, and that is what an evaluation is for.
What is ADOS?
ADOS (the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) is a structured play and conversation session. It looks at social communication and related behavior in a set of planned activities. It is one possible part of a thorough autism assessment. It is not a pass/fail test, and it is not a diagnosis by itself.
How is this different from the autism page under What We Treat?
Autism is the concern: is this me, and can you help? Here is the method: what an autism evaluation actually involves.
Is an autism evaluation the same as an IEE?
No. An independent educational evaluation (IEE) is a second look from outside the district, often after a school evaluation. An autism evaluation is about the autism question. Sometimes those paths overlap. You do not have to arrive knowing which one you need.
Do you work for the school district?
No. Crescent is an independent practice. We stay professionally neutral. We will not use this page to argue for or against a district, and we will not decide eligibility for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan from a website. An IEP is a written school plan for special education services. A 504 plan is a written school plan for accommodations.
What should I send when I reach out?
A short note in your own words. That is enough. Do not send records, reports, or detailed health information through a public channel.
Related pages
Start with a conversation
Restore your peace.
You do not have to carry this by yourself. Tell us what’s happening, and let’s figure it out together.
Prefer to talk? Call or text (559) 287‑8351.
Marcia Lynn Miller, LEP #3015 · Independent practice
See all services