Autism Services That Change Lives

Caravel mostly serves children aged 12 months to 5 years (and sometimes up to 11 years, depending on location). Early support can make a big difference. We can diagnose children as young as 12 months and start working with children around two years of age. Our focus is to help children prepare to maximize their opportunities for their school experiences ahead.

The online child development screener is a brief, accessible tool you can complete from home to identify possible developmental concerns and help you decide whether to seek a full assessment.

A diagnostic evaluation is a much more in-depth, clinician-led process. Caravel’s diagnosticians gather detailed history, observe your child, use standardized assessment tools, and provide a formal diagnosis for whether a child is or isn’t on the spectrum.

The screener is a first step. A diagnostic evaluation is what’s needed to confirm—and guide—clinical decisions and therapeutic planning.

After a diagnostic evaluation, Caravel provides clear feedback, a care plan, and connection to ongoing support and therapy services at a clinic near you.

Yes, it is a comprehensive medical diagnosis completed by a physician or master’s level clinician and required by insurance.

Diagnostic reports are typically available within 7 business days. However, there may be slight delays.

This is contingent upon insurance requirements and the location of services. Determination cannot be made until a benefits verification has been completed.

Parents and caregivers are central to Caravel’s therapy model. You will:

• Receive information from our team so you understand what your child is learning and how to use strategies to use at home.  
• Be part of “caregiver collaboration,” which Caravel schedules on a recurring basis, including via telehealth. This ensures the work in clinic extends into daily life.
• Participate in team meetings and trainings with your child’s clinical team (BCBAs, senior therapists), helping set goals and supporting consistency across environments.
• Gain tools and techniques to manage behaviors, improve communication, strengthen family relationships, and advocate for your child.

Insurance often can help cover autism therapy, but coverage depends on your specific plan and location. Caravel accepts most private insurance and, in many cases, Medicaid (again, depending on location). Diagnostic evaluations and testing are typically billed to insurance (or Medicaid, where allowed).  Because each insurance policy is different, Caravel works with families to verify benefits, submit claims, and guide you through possible co-pays or limits.

If your insurance doesn’t cover certain services, Caravel’s team can help you explore alternative funding options and payment plans.

Caravel favors clinic-based therapy. Caravel clinics are designed with controlled, optimized environments for focused learning, peer interaction for social skill development, and minimizing distractions. Under very limited and clinically appropriate circumstances, this may also be done in a home-based environment.

At Caravel, there’s no one-size-fits-all duration for ABA therapy. It depends on your child’s individual needs.  After a baseline assessment, your licensed behavior analyst (BCBA) creates a personalized plan. The number of therapy hours, goals, and settings are tailored to what will best support your child.

At Caravel, progress will look different for every child, but here are some things many families report and that our outcomes data support:

• Skill growth across areas like communication (both verbal & nonverbal), social interactions, play, and daily living tasks.
• Improved independence — things like toileting, dressing, feeding, following routines.
• Reduced challenging behavior — fewer frequent or intense behaviors that interfere with learning or daily life.
• Better school readiness — being more prepared for classroom settings: increased attention, memory, ability to follow group instructions or routines, peer interactions. Studies show that with early, intensive ABA, nearly half of children start full-day school with no additional services.

Both terms are used, often interchangeably, but each can have its own specific implications. Caravel Autism Health chooses to use the term “autism therapy” because it most accurately represents what we do. Our methodology (and the principles of ABA) involve developing a child’s verbal and social skills—a “therapy” approach—to promote better quality of life for the child and their family. The word “treatment” is often associated with the use of medications and can also imply a “cure” or a guaranteed outcome. There is no “cure” for autism, but through the therapy that Caravel provides, children and their families can experience better, more fulfilling life outcomes.

Caravel diagnostic evaluations and ABA therapy are available during normal business hours, 8 AM – 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Unfortunately, we do not offer summer-only ABA therapy sessions.

Yes, children must be present for the evaluation portion of the diagnostic evaluation. However, they do not need to be present for the parent/caregiver Q&A.

Appointments for diagnostic evaluation are typically available within ~45 days (sometimes as soon as 14 days). The waitlist time for ABA therapy varies by region.

Therapy is primarily delivered with individualized care plans in our in-center, clinic-based environments for optimal outcomes.

Diagnostic evaluations and ABA therapy can both be billed to your insurance. Self-pay costs for evaluations range from $1600-$2400. There is no self-pay option for ABA therapy.

Caravel places an age cap on evaluations and services because research shows that therapy has the greatest impact on development when the focus is on early childhood intervention.

If your child receives a telehealth evaluation, depending on his or her age and level of communication skills, you can expect to support the doctor’s observations by engaging in a number of structured activities with your child. Older children with more developed communication skills will interact directly with the doctor. If your child receives an in-person evaluation, (again) depending on his or her age and level of communication skills, you will be asked to sit in the room with the technician as the tests are administered to your child. If your child is older and has age-appropriate language skills, you may be asked to wait in the waiting room.

You can request a diagnostic evaluation here. A member of Caravel’s team will reach out promptly to review your request and answer any questions. They will help you schedule the diagnostic evaluation, explain the next steps, verify your insurance coverage, perform a parent assessment, and provide guidance so you know what to expect.