University of Washington Autism Center

Loving & Welcome staff & super flexible to my sons needs. I drive over an hour for his therapy here because not only does he love his therapist he has been learning so much as have I.

I wasted 3 years of my life on their adult autism waitlist, only to be told when it was finally my turn that the program shut down after COVID. They never apologized for it nor referred me to someone who would take me immediately since I wasted so much time. They basically disregarded me as if I meant nothing. On top of this, they still have ABA/BCBA; which has been proven to cause PTSD in the majority of autistic adults that have gone through it. I currently work alongside my own population and can confirm this. Even the “newer” ABA is problematic and they refuse to address and listen to the #actuallyautistic community.

Despite the long wait to get in for testing, we found Dr Ella Vanderbilt to be an amazing and caring practitioner. The staff was always helpful when emailing and they were very organized with appointments.

They put out numerous ads for an autism brain study in infants with older siblings with autism. FIRST; they lie about the compensation, it says 475$ on the flyer PLUS the cost of travel but when you contact them they say it’s 300$ plus they will also reimburse you for travel per mile. You give a lot of personal information about yourself and your children and then they just don’t call you back after the phone interview. I’m hoping it was actually a medical professional who I gave my information to but at this point I feel like I was scammed and have a feeling something bad will happen at some point. If it was real than it’s extremely unprofessional to just not contact people back and let them know they don’t qualify for the study for whatever reason. Don’t waste your time with these people!

After a full review of our child, we received an inaccurate diagnosis of autism. After securing a second opinion we found a much more accurate diagnosis, sure wish they offered a money back guarantee since it was so expensive!

Waiting time 1 year after referral is sent. They had only 2 doctors for a whole city of Seattle. It is not profitable for the hospital to hire more doctors, because they get diminishing returns on investments with the more autism related doctors they hire. Basically they have a better place to allocate money. like a cancer center or new drug development. /// "We are dedicated to reducing the gap many people experience in getting needed services." Your dedication can be HARDER then 2 doctors. Yesterday I spoke with the front desk, they told me they receive up to 100 new referrals a week. My referral isn't processed after 9 months! Also, at the same place, I saw a women in despair realizing that her autistic family/community member. 70 yo male with worsening symptoms. will need to weight longer then a year...