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Autism HUB – Early Detection & Intervention

Autism HUB – Early Detection & Intervention

Families of children with neurodevelopmental conditions often struggle to receive a confirming diagnosis early enough to get intervention services while the brain is still at a critical time in development. Typically, the age of diagnosis happens around five years old, many of those children then miss the potential benefit of early intervention.

Diagnosis of autism and developmental delays in early childhood allows children to start intervention services during the time of rapid brain growth in young childhood when it can benefit the most. Early Evaluation Hubs for autism spectrum disorder and developmental delay are available in 12 locations throughout Indiana.

For an appointment with Meridian pediatricians also specializing in autism diagnosis,
Naseer Syed, MD, FAAP or Bianca Maya, MD, FAAP, please contact:

Meridian Health Pediatrics
205 N. Tillotson Ave.
Muncie, IN 47303
765-291-KIDS (5437)

Dr. Naseer Syed, MD, a pediatrician with Meridian Health Pediatrics says, “The Autism HUB system empowers communities to be able to provide life-changing diagnostic services locally, drastically altering the trajectory of development in children who previously remained without diagnoses until age 5 or older,”

Autism HUB’s are part of the Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral System (NDBS), a model developed by faculty at the IU School of Medicine to offer a solution to the need for high-quality health care of a special population of children in Indiana—those with neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders.

A 2020 report from the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 54 children in the United States is identified each year with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While children can be diagnosed with ASD as early as 2 years old, most children are still being diagnosed after the age of 4. [source: https://bit.ly/3sg76Dl]