What is a CDE?

A Comprehensive Developmental Evaluation (CDE) (Also known as Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation) is a thorough assessment process that is typically used to evaluate the overall development of a child. It is often conducted by a team of professionals, including pediatricians, neurologists, psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and special education specialists, depending on the child's needs.

Most medical insurances require a CDE before approving payments for the ABA therapy. 

This evaluation is beneficial since it guides the caregivers on the children's abilities levels and the areas that they need more emphasis during future therapeutic interventions.

The purpose of a CDE is to assess various areas of development, including:

1. Cognitive Development: Evaluating the child's thinking, learning, and problem-solving abilities.
   
   

2. Language and Communication Skills: Assessing both verbal and non-verbal communication abilities, including speech, understanding, and social communication.
   
   

3. Motor Skills: Looking at both fine motor skills (like hand-eye coordination) and gross motor skills (such as walking and jumping).
   
   

4. Social and Emotional Development: Examining how the child interacts with others, forms relationships, and manages emotions.
   
   

5. Adaptive Behavior: Assessing practical skills like self-care, communication, and independent living skills that are needed for daily life.
   
   

6. Sensory Processing: Evaluating how a child responds to sensory stimuli (e.g., light, sound, touch) and how it may impact their behavior or learning.
   
   

A CDE helps to identify any developmental delays, disabilities, or areas where the child may need support. Based on the results, the evaluation team may recommend therapies, interventions, or educational strategies to support the child's growth and development.

This type of evaluation is particularly useful for children who are suspected of having developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or other developmental or learning challenges.

How can you obtain a CDE?

We do not offer CDE services but there are many clinics and places that do offer them. You might look for those places near you by searching for "Comprehensive Developmental Evaluation" or "Comprehensive Diagnostic Evaluation" in your preferred online maps services such as "Google Maps".

You might use any place of your preference but just as a recommendation, these two places are known for conducting CDE and for accepting Medicaid:

1- Healthy Minds Psychology

https://healthymindspsy.com/comprehensive-developmental-evaluations

2- Academic, Behavioral & Cognitive Testing Services

https://www.abctestingservices.com/cde/