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What is Extended Assessment Services (EAS)?
A process developed to take an in-depth look at the child in all of his/her surroundings
— home, school and community — to determine the services necessary in order to address
the needs of children diagnosed with a variety of emotional, behavioral and developmental
disorders, Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and their families' needs.
As a result of EAS, the following services may be recommended in accordance with
the need.
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| A) |
Behavioral Health and Rehabilitation Services (BHRS) to include:
1- Behavioral Specialist Consultant (BSC)
2- Mobile Therapist (MT)
3- Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) |
| B) |
Family Based Services |
| C) |
Outpatient Therapy and Case Management |
| D) |
Afterschool & Summer Socialization Skill Development Programs |
| E) |
Partial Hospital, Inpatient or Residential Treatment Services |
PHONE CALL The first step is to place a call to our Access Coordinator who will verify
insurance coverage and schedule an intake appointment. CGRC participates in state
medical assistance programs and most major commercial insurance offerings.
Delaware County Access Coordinator 484-454-8720
Chester County Access Coordinator
610-383-5635 ext. 350
Parents, teachers, social workers, guardians, guidance counselors, mental health
workers. Anyone can make the referral, provided the child's insurance information
is available when the call is made and at least one caregiver is willing to participate
in the process.
A process whereby the parents /guardians will bring the child in and information
related to the presenting concerns is gathered. The intake will take approximately
2 hours, depending on the child's ability to continue in the meeting.
Upon completion of the intake, the case will be assigned to a Master's Level EAS
clinician. Shortly following the meeting, the parent /caregiver will receive, by
mail, the name and contact phone number of the clinician.
Prior to the family leaving CGRC on the day of the intake, an evaluation will be
scheduled to see either a psychiatrist or psychologist, as part of the EAS process,
in accordance with the child's needs.
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The EAS clinician will contact the parent/ caregiver and introduce themselves. Observations
for the home and school will then be scheduled.
The EAS clinician completes all observations and then combines them into a working
tool called a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). The FBA is a collection of
all observations and defined results. This document also contains recommendations
for treatment and services that is then shared with the evaluator, prior to the appointment.
The family attends the evaluation to share concerns and ongoing behavior issues,
which are then integrated into the evaluation used to request coverage for appropriate
services from the insurance company.
Once the evaluation is completed, the Interagency Meeting (ITM or CASSP) will be
arranged by the EAS clinician. At the meeting, the information along with the recommendations
are discussed and signed. The information is then finalized and sent to the insurance
company for review and authorization.
Once authorization is received from the insurance company, the EAS clinician will
maintain case management until the case is staffed by CGRC or an available provider.
The EAS process lasts approximately 90 days.
This tool provides the testing clinician and the evaluator with a wealth of information.
It provides an in-depth semi-structured interview for the clinician to use with the
parent or primary caregiver. The interview is approximately two hours long and is
performed in the home. It focuses on getting maximum information from the parent/caregiver
about the three areas that define autism which are: repetitive stereotyped behaviors;
communication and language; and reciprocal social interaction. Once completed, the
clinician will have the necessary information to select a module for the testing.
Child Guidance uses the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) testing in
addition to the Autism Diagnostic Interview which is used to assess anyone suspected
of having autism from toddlers to adults, from children with no speech to adults
who are verbally fluent. This test takes approximately one hour and is held at the
agency. Parents/caregivers will need to be present at the time of the testing. The
ADOS system consists of various activities that allow the clinician to observe social
and communication behaviors related to the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders.
Four different modules are available in the ADOS. Our clinician will select the one
that best matches the expressive language skills of the child. All results, in addition
to the first interview, will be made available to the doctor prior to the evaluation,
which will help aid in the most accurate diagnosis of the child.
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