1
Start with the recommendations
Turn to that section first. It is prioritized on purpose, and the first item is where we would begin. If anything is unclear, email us. That conversation is free, with no time limit.
After your evaluation
You have a report. Now what?
Here is the landscape as it stands in Missouri, and the questions we would ask if it were our own child.
Child at play · photo coming
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First
Three things worth doing in the first two weeks
2
Send the report to your health plan and pediatrician
A current diagnostic report is usually what unlocks authorization for therapy services. Getting it on file early shortens everything downstream. We send copies anywhere you authorize.
3
Contact your school district or First Steps in writing
Under three, that is Missouri First Steps. Three and older, it is your local school district. Both have legal timelines that begin only once your request is in writing, so email rather than call.
Choosing a provider
Questions we would ask on a tour
Whatever kind of therapy your report recommends, the difference in quality between providers is real, and it is rarely obvious from a website. These are the questions that actually set them apart.
You are allowed to say no
Tour more than one place. Ask to observe. A provider who is uncomfortable with either request has told you something useful.
- What is the actual wait from today to a first session, not just to an intake?
- Who will work with my child directly, and what are their training and credentials?
- What is staff turnover like, and how often would my child change providers?
- How are goals chosen, and how is my input built into them?
- How do you respond when a child is distressed or refusing? Walk me through it.
- Can I observe a session, unannounced, at any time?
- How do you define progress, and what happens if we do not see it?
- What does the schedule look like in hours per week, and is it negotiable?
- Are you accredited, and by whom?
- How do autistic adults’ perspectives shape the way you design programs?
Missouri resources
Where to go from here
Public programs, statewide advocacy organizations, and provider directories. We have no financial relationship with any organization listed here.
Missouri First Steps
The state’s early intervention program for children from birth to age three. Services are provided at no cost or on a sliding scale, and a diagnosis is not required to request an evaluation.
Your local school district
From age three, your district is legally required to evaluate a child suspected of having a disability and to provide services if eligible. Put the request in writing to the district’s special education director. That is what starts the clock.
Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Developmental Disabilities
Regional Offices coordinate long-term developmental disability supports, including waiver services. There is an application process and it takes time, so starting early is worthwhile even if you do not need supports today.
Missouri Family to Family
A statewide center staffed largely by parents of children with disabilities. Free, independent help navigating benefits, services, and systems. Especially useful when you are not sure what question to ask.
MPACT (Missouri Parents Act)
Free special education advocacy and training. Worth calling before an IEP meeting you are nervous about, not after one that went badly.
Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment
University of Missouri center in Columbia offering clinical services, training, and statewide resources for Missouri families.
Your health plan’s provider directory
The most reliable way to find therapy providers who are actually in network for your specific policy. Call the number on your card and ask for the current list. Online directories are frequently out of date.
BHCOE accredited provider directory
A searchable directory of behavioral health providers that have completed independent accreditation. Accreditation is not a guarantee of fit, but it is a reasonable filter.
Making sense of it
Questions about the report itself
Does a diagnosis follow my child forever?
A diagnosis describes how your child is developing right now and the support that suggests. It is not a ceiling or a prediction. Nor is it public information. It lives in your child’s medical record, and you control who sees it.
Do we have to start therapy right away?
No. The recommendations are prioritized so you can begin with the first one and take the rest at your own pace. Many families start with one thing and add later.
What if we disagree with something in the report?
Tell us, and walk us through it. If we got a fact wrong, we correct it. If we reached a conclusion you see differently, we explain the reasoning and note your perspective in the record. You are also entitled to a second opinion, and we send your records to whoever you choose without any friction.
How long is the report valid?
It depends who is asking. Insurers and school districts often want an evaluation from within the last one to three years, and requirements vary. Ask the specific organization what it requires rather than assuming.
Can we come back to you with questions later?
Yes, and families do: months later, before an IEP meeting, or when an insurer pushes back. There is never a charge for a conversation about a report we wrote.
Haven’t had the evaluation yet?
Start with the form. The call that follows is free and carries no obligation.