aUTISM TESTING FOR KIDS IN MINNESOTA

Clarity Your Family Can Act On

Autism testing for kids in Minnesota follows a clear sequence at our practice: a virtual intake with parents, an in-person testing appointment about a week later, and a feedback session two weeks after that. The full process takes around four weeks, and the report you leave with is written to be used, at home, with your pediatrician, and in IEP or 504 meetings at your child's school.

We evaluate children from birth through age 17. Dr. Rebecca Kanive works exclusively with children, and Dr. Matt Hall evaluates all ages. Both hold Ph.D.s in school psychology from the University of Minnesota.

How do I know if my child needs an autism evaluation

Most parents who contact us have already tried the obvious things. New routines, advice from teachers, different consequences, more patience. Something still feels unexplained.

The patterns that most often bring families here: friendships that take real effort, intense distress when plans change, deep and detailed interests, very literal interpretation of language, and strong reactions to textures, sounds, or lights. Some kids show all of this openly. Others hold it together at school and release it at home, which is often the pattern teachers miss.

A comprehensive child autism evaluation looks at how your child learns, communicates, and processes sensory information across home, school, and the testing environment, not just how they behave in a single office visit. That multi-setting view is what catches masking, and it is why parent and teacher questionnaires carry real weight in our process.

What the three steps actually look like

  • The intake happens virtually, with parents only. There is nothing to prepare. This one-to-two-hour conversation shapes a testing plan specific to your child.

  • Testing happens in person about a week later and runs three to five hours, sometimes split across days. For younger children, parents stay in the room and participate in tasks. School-age kids work directly with the psychologist through play-based activities and short tasks matched to their age, with breaks whenever they need one.

  • Two weeks after testing, you receive a written report and a feedback session to walk through it. The report maps your child's social communication, sensory profile, and executive functioning, alongside their strengths, with specific recommendations for home and school.

Both of our assessment psychologists spent years working inside school systems before moving into private practice, which shapes how they translate testing results into recommendations schools can actually act on.

DOes age change how testing works

 

Yes, substantially. Autistic traits show up differently at every stage of development. Autism evaluations for toddlers and preschoolers lean heavily on play-based observation and parent input, while assessments for school-age kids involve more direct work with the psychologist.

For high-masking kids who hold it together at school and fall apart at home, autism testing for teens shifts the focus from surface behavior to internal experience: sensory load, social exhaustion, and burnout.

autism testing for kids

What if the picture doesn't quite fit autism

Some children arrive with traits that overlap several profiles, and part of the evaluation's job is sorting that out. Autism and ADHD co-occur often enough that many families arrive unsure which one they're actually looking at; a child ADHD evaluation follows the same intake-to-feedback process, and both can be assessed together when the picture is mixed.

If reward charts and traditional strategies consistently backfire and your child shows an intense, anxiety-driven need for autonomy, a PDA autism evaluation may explain patterns that don't fit the standard autism picture.

FAQs

  • From birth through age 17 at our practice. Traits present differently across development, so the assessment itself changes with age: observation and parent participation for the youngest children, direct tasks and self-report for older kids and teens. Earlier testing opens the door to early intervention services; testing in adolescence often explains a pattern of exhaustion or burnout that only surfaced with rising social demands.

  • $3,300 is the total fee for the comprehensive evaluation, with half due before the first appointment and half when the report is complete. We are an out-of-network provider, and our fees and financial options include superbills for potential insurance reimbursement, HSA and FSA payment, and a split payment structure. Calling the number on your insurance card and asking about out-of-network coverage for psychological testing will tell you what portion may come back.

  • About four weeks from intake to feedback session. Testing happens roughly one week after intake, and the report and feedback follow two weeks after testing. Compared with waitlists many Minnesota families encounter elsewhere, that timeline is often the deciding factor.

  • Yes, as documentation. A private evaluation does not replace the school's own process, and we don't conduct school evaluations. What the report gives you is independent clinical evidence of your child's profile that you bring to the IEP or 504 conversation, written by psychologists who know exactly what school teams look for in that paperwork.

When you're ready, or just deciding

Many parents find it easier to start with a free 15-minute consultation, where they can ask questions and get a sense of whether an evaluation is the right next step before committing to anything.

Taking the first step is often the hardest part. When you're ready, reach out to our team.

autism testing for kids