Autism diagnosis and therapy

At the JiM Foundation, we are fighting for access to diagnosis and therapy for people on the autism spectrum. In 2020 alone, we conducted more than 400 diagnoses of people from all over the country. Diagnosis allows you to find the best possible help for your child. Help that gives a chance for development. For greater independence. Diagnosis gives a chance to realize the maximum potential of each child.

At the JiM Foundation, we also diagnose adults. In 2020, we diagnosed 37 adults for autism.

Autism diagnosis at JiM Foundation

Autism diagnosis at JiM Foundation is carried out by our specialists on the basis of professional diagnostic methods and aids. The standard of autism diagnosis at JiM Foundation includes:

• ADOS-2, or observation protocol for autism diagnosis
• Comprehensive multi-specialist observation of the child by pedagogues, psychologists and speech therapists,
• Medical consultations, including comprehensive hearing and vision tests, blood counts, neurological examinations, DSR (Children's Developmental Scale) or IDS (Intelligence and Development Scale) psychological tests
• Questionnaires for the child and his parents or guardians.

Diagnosis stages

1. Diagnosis of autism usually begins with a thorough interview with the parents, who talk about the child's past development, disturbing behaviors or the course of the pregnancy. The meeting with the parents is usually attended by one specialist, but sometimes several people conduct the interview.
2. The next stage is careful observation of the child, usually conducted by a team consisting of a psychologist, an educator and a speech therapist, who analyze the child's behavior during typical activities, such as playing with parents, talking and making contact.

During it, it is checked how the child reacts to other people in his environment, as well as how he follows commands and plays by himself. The diagnosis may use the ADOS-2 tool, which helps the specialist during the diagnostic process, or other tests that the specialist recommends.

The diagnostic process may include: psychological tests, a comprehensive hearing and vision test, blood counts, neurological tests and questionnaires that will be given to the child and his parents to solve.

M-CHAT-R - autism spectrum risk assessments

M-CHAT-R to badanie przesiewowe, które może być używane przez  specjalistę w procesie diagnozy, w ramach wizyt kontrolnych u lekarza rodzinnego, a także w domu przez rodzica. Możesz je zrobić przez Internet TUTAJ. To narzędzie do oceny ryzyka wystąpienia spektrum autyzmu przeznaczone  dla dzieci w wieku 16 do 30 miesięcy. Stosując M-CHAT-R/F należy pamiętać, że grupa ryzyka jest znacznie szersza niż liczba dzieci, u których zostaje zdiagnozowane spektrum autyzmu.

How long does an autism diagnosis take?

Reliable diagnosis of autism is a complicated process. Very often it requires the cooperation of specialists from different fields: clinical psychology, psychiatry, medicine and special pedagogy. A series of several meetings is usually required for a correct diagnosis of autism. After going through it, the diagnosis is certain and precise.

Autism therapy at JiM Foundation

U osób, u których zdiagnozowano spektrum autyzmu, wdrażamy indywidualnie opracowaną terapię. Prowadzą ją nasi specjaliści poddawani superwizji, która pozwala stale doskonalić ich kwalifikacje oraz warsztat terapeutyczny. Pozostajemy z rodzicami oraz opiekunami osób ze stwierdzonym spektrum autyzmu w stałym kontakcie, aby móc konsultować z nimi dalszy przebieg opieki, wspierać ich oraz wspólnie realizować wydane przez nas zalecenia. Dla każdego dziecka dobieramy indywidualną ścieżkę terapeutyczno-edukacyjną. Odpowiednio prowadzona edukacja oraz przebieg zajęć dydaktycznych umożliwia dzieciom rozwój i zdobywanie nowych umiejętności.