While it may not be required for every facility that completes Autism evaluations, most facilities do require some sort of referral before completing an evaluation. Typically those referrals would come for your child's Pediatrician or health care provider. Therefore, typically your first step in getting an Autism evaluation is seeing your child’s doctor, expressing your concerns, and requesting a referral for an evaluation. It is often helpful to write down all of your concerns prior to the appointment and bring that with you, to ensure you tell them everything. The characteristics of Autism can vary widely, and therefore, a child having some of the characteristics does not necessarily mean that child has Autism. However, if your child is showing some of those characteristics, we encourage you to discuss that with your child's doctor.