Pitt State University to offer autism evaluations for children

PITTSBURG, Kan. (KOAM) - Pittsburg State University will begin providing autism evaluations for children ages 1 to 6, addressing a need in the community for these services.

“This will provide another avenue for families to access an autism evaluation,” said Paige Boydston, an assistant professor at the university.

Some families travel several hours to get access to a diagnostic evaluation, and various local services have waitlists.

“The places in this area that do provide diagnostic services have waitlists that are over 100 kids long,” said Boydston.

“We'll have them come in for two days of assessments. So perhaps coming in on a Monday morning where they do some parent interviews, and then we'll do some assessments with the child,” said Boydston.

The project will not only support children in need of evaluations but also benefit Pitt State students by providing valuable hands-on learning experiences in psychology before they enter their careers.

“It offers them an opportunity to learn how to engage with children and families who are affected by autism, and just really gives them a lot of skills and makes them more well-rounded to go out as a professional into the field,” said Halle Panter, a Pitt State student.

Boydston emphasized the importance of this hands-on experience.

“Experiences, how well they learn how to complete the assessments and collect data, how well they are able to interact with families and do some of those different parts of the evaluation process", said Boydston.

The evaluations aim to help families navigate journey of getting a full diagnostic confirmation from a pediatrician.

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