Therapist for Child with Autism

Hi, 

We are really struggling to find a child based psychology center that deals with hundreds of kids a day, that has seen it all - hopefully integrated with a broad range of practitioners. What centers are out there? Our child is autistic (highly verbal) with behavioral and mood disorders. We've had a hard time finding places that see our type of kiddos frequently enough. And if you've been through this and have any other resources/groups that help you I would be grateful. :)

Thanks,

Mary

I'm looking for recommendations for my 4yo daughter. We've been struggling with emotional and behavioral issues recently and her pediatrician suggested that she could have a high-functioning autism diagnosis. We've received referrals from the pediatrician as well as a list of child and adolescent therapists to contact for individual/family therapy. However, the list of therapists is 4 pages long and I have no idea where to start! While we wait for responses from RCEB and the Stanford Behavior Department (which we're told could take months), I'd love to get started with therapy. We are at the beginning of this journey as a family and any therapist recommendations would be greatly appreciated. We don't have Kaiser and would love to see someone in Alameda, Berkeley, or Oakland. TIA for your suggestions!

My son was diagnosed with ASD at age 14 and has completely rejected the label, will not talk to any therapist who presents as working with spectrum kids. That said, he has been perpetually misunderstood by family and friends because of his ways of thinking, speaking, reacting and behaving — which align closely with “high functioning” ASD. 

He has worked with a therapist for 3 years now but has found her to be “useless”, “she doesn’t understand me”. That said, I have noticed that he has learned to slow down his reactions and he seems to have learned more useful language for talking about his feelings. He has only remained with her for this long because of the inertia around finding a new therapist. 

He says he is “ready to bite the bullet” now and find a new therapist because he is angry, down, frustrated with how people continue to misunderstand him and vice-versa. He insists on having a male therapist — and as above, he will refuse to talk to anyone who wants to help him in the context of his diagnosis with ASD. We have tried to find some leeway with him on this — it would be so helpful — but there’s none. 
that said — any recs for a male therapist? We are in Oakland but would travel and would be willing to pay a lot for someone who is wise and talented. 
Feeling grim but determined,

mom

My 18 year old nephew is a lovely kid with lots of interests and talents. Lately, his parents are increasingly concerned because, especially during the pandemic, he has become entrenched in the extreme right. He’s involved in conspiracy theories, justifies the attack on the Capital, thinks being a white Christian male makes him “oppressed” (even though mom is Jewish and dad is half Latino), and says women should have fewer rights and should be required to stay home with children. He’s on the autism spectrum and says he’s always felt he didn’t fit in and now has found a group that he thinks he can identify with and feel a connection. In calmer moments, he has expressed that these conspiracy theories make him feel anxious. There have been late night emotional explosions where he talks nonstop about things like the “liberal Jewish media” controlling everything. His parents are desperate, sad and feel their child is lost, as if he’s in a cult. He is open to family therapy and his parents might be able to convince him to meet with a psychiatrist. If anyone has experience with something like this, they would very much appreciate ideas, input, referrals. Thank you.

I am looking for someone to help my son manage himself over a broad range of situations. Im not looking for a quick fix but rather a therapist who can help him generalize problem solving skills over a myriad of experiences. Nothing ABA related, but rather a therapist who understands the neurocogntive challenges of Anxiety Disorder, ADHD and ASD combined and can help him learn to assess each individual situation and gain skills that he can apply to allow him to come through each one appropriately and safely.

Help! Our 9-year old son, who is diagnosed with Autism as well as sensory processing disorder and anxiety, is having tons of behavior problems in his 4th grade class.  We feel like we need more than the school's assessment, particularly in regards to what he needs and how to best help the situation. We are getting daily emails and phone calls about incidents. We are in the process of asking for an independent educational evaluation (IEE) and would ideally like to find a psychologist that can do the outside evaluation as well as a functional behavior assessment (FBA), and who has expertise specifically around evidence based interventions for Autism. Any recommendations greatly appreciated!

Hi Everyone,

We are seeking names of therapists that specialize or have certification in Pivotal Response Therapy (PRT). We have a list of ABA-based orgs in the bay area but the list is so long, the only way to find out at the moment is to keep calling each one of them. And not all of them are friendly. Would really help if someone has already researched this and can share their results.

Thanks.