<p>You could try [SAHM</a> | Find an Adolescent Health Professional](<a href=“http://www.adolescenthealth.org/source/FindHealthProfessional/]SAHM”>http://www.adolescenthealth.org/source/FindHealthProfessional/).</p>
<p>Missy,
In the back of many of the Asperger books are listed websites for several organizations. If you find just one local expert (be it the psychologist, psychiatrist, whaever), they can make subsequent referrals. I use the same pediatric endocrinologist and adult endo, the same dietician, etc. I have total respect for their work, and every patient has been impressed.</p>
<p>There is an active group in Boston at McLeans, another center in Pittsburgh, and at Yale. Another expert in Orlando. Go online to the American Psychological Assoc. (APA) and request expert in this area. Even if the therapist is out of network, a consult could steer you to local experts. The Amer Psychiatric Assoc would do the same. Actually, each group has state chapters, which would narrow the search. If you cannot find the people online, then call the state headquarters. I don’t know what state you live in, so canot be more specific.</p>
<p>I remember trying to find an ED therapist for a Cornell student. I wrote to the author of a book who lived in that area, and she directed me (hence,my client) to a full service treatment center.</p>
<p>Can’t believe your pediatrician kicks kids out at 18. My kids Dr have never mentioned a cut off date. My S saw his lifelong Dr last summer for an ear infection at age 21. Our children’s medical clinic is labeled Children and Adolescent Medicine.I figure now that he is graduated I should find him a new Dr. In my case the first place I would start would be the pediatrician. Even if my kid had aged out that is the Dr who knows them best. When she felt she had done what she could to get my S’s ADD meds right she sent us to a psychiatrist. In my D’s case she sent us to a neurologist for her migraines and ADD. The neurologist is great about always sending a report after each visit to the pediatrician.</p>
<p>When I need a Dr referral I usually start with the people I know. I ask my pediatrician or my OB/GYN. I also have friends who are MD’s. I have not had to randomly go off of a list.</p>
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<p>In my city, there is a practice just for adolescent girls-young women. It is run by a pair of female MD’s who specialize in female adolescent medicine. Like yours, it focuses on issues which you will see in this population. They are particularly attuned to eating disorders (have an in house counselor who specializes in eating disorders as well as a nutritionist whose specialty is disordered eating), depression, anxiety, contraception, and social concerns of this group of girls. This practice has literally been a life saver for our daughters. They have a varied group of practioners to which they refer for problems out of their scope. They offer babysitting CPR classes, yoga, mother/daughter exercise classes, self defense classes, massage therapy, and regular guest speakers on varied topics.</p>
<p>When they first opened, I thought, “Oh my gosh, why hasn’t anyone thought of this sooner?”</p>
<p>They have even helped a daughter who was having trouble with tampons (the MD gave her a “lesson” using a model and solved the problem on site). When one DD went on birth control for non sex related problems, the MD nevertheless gave her a lesson on contraception and showed her how to apply a condom as one method alone was considered insufficient for preventing both pregnancy and STD’s. They’ve addressed how to say no to alcohol and drugs at a party and still save face, how to handle sexual pressure from boyfriends, body image, etc. I have thanked my lucky stars to have found this practice. My daughters can see them until they turn 26.</p>
<p>Dealing with a university hospital: we keep moving, and I keep having to find doctors that specialize in long-term health treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (which my husband was last treated for in 2001, but which needs monitoring). Here’s how to do it: go on the hospital website and look for doctors who specialize in anything even remotely related. Call their office and ask the receptionist nicely if the doctor is accepting new patients. If the answer is “yes”, explain why you want to be one of those patients. Make an initial appointment. If the answer is “no” or if the receptionist says the doctor isn’t right for your case, ask her who might be accepting new patients and be the right doctor. Call those names. Sometimes it’s easier to start at the end of alphabet, just because most people start at the beginning.</p>
<p>Once you get in to see the doctor, be aware you may rarely see him/her again, but you will see one or more doctors in the same practice. Usually, they cooperate nicely.</p>
<p>I like to look for a nice big practice, with six or seven doctors, because that way there’s probably a few last-minute appointments available in a crisis.</p>
<p>My kids’ pediatrician says he usually sees kids through college graduation, but my younger son never really liked him and decide to switch to an adult doctor shortly before college. It’s worked out really well for him.</p>
<p>Ideas. Sometimes, it works to call a local college’s student health clinic, talk to a nurse there (not just a receptionist,) since they often refer that age kids to local med and counseling professionals. (They may not get you to the exact right final doctor for your son’s specifics, but point you in a better direction than randomly searching. They’ve got to have Aspergers and AS kids who need referrals, wouldn’t we think?) If you call the hospital (best is a teaching hospital, because they would be most “cutting edge,”) you can try to speak with one of the hospital’s patient advocates or someone in a similar role. (This is different than calling an appointment-scheduling secretary or asking the switchboard folks.) An advocate or similar should know the variety of docs at that center, who deals with youth and maybe even who’s particularly adept at broader issues.</p>
<p>Or, call the hospital’s pediatrics dept (or related peds specialty dept)- to learn to whom they recommend patients at 18-20 or whenever they “age out” of that practice- specifically smeone who deals with young adults. Also, sometimes, the local support groups for families dealing with problem x can give good feedback. (In your case, an AS support group might know of the right endocrinologists.)</p>
<p>No, you don’t want to be stuck waiting for and paying for random tries. When you start to get possible doc names, see if you can get to a lead nurse in that office to double check that this seems to be the right practice for you. I’m a big fan of those lead nurses- they usually have more familiarity with patient specifics than the person answering the phone. They serve as gatekeeper to the doc, but often have a few minutes to hear you out. You describe in the proverbial 25 words, throw yourself on their mercy. If the response is positive, you can often then ask a few more confirming questions.</p>
<p>Sorry you are going through this. Do you want to name your area?</p>
<p>missy-Check the websites for the hospitals in your area. Look for a “Find a Physician” type link. Many of these sites will include a phone number to call to speak with an advisor, who can help put you in touch with an appropriate physician. Best wishes.</p>
<p>Thanks so much, everyone! I went to the web site of our local univ teaching hospital and was so excited to find a form online to fill out where you put in the patient’s info, the health problem, etc and they promise to call with a referral in three days. Then I got to the end of the form and saw that it was for the use of physicians only. But y’all have given me some great ideas.</p>