Psychiatry is a field that relies on talking and questioning patients about their symptoms and lives for the purposes of diagnosis. A pioneer in the field has been using a method to scan the electrical activity of the brain for the purpose of more accurate diagnosis with the goal of providing more accurate treatments.
Dr. Amen shares his findings from 83,000 SPECT scans taken over many years of his clinical work helping individual patients improve their health and quality of life with individualized diagnosis and treatment recommendations. While his findings have helped many patients with a variety of conditions, autism spectrum disorders are not a primary focus of his work. The scans can help clarify diagnosis of ADHD and many other psychiatric conditions and may be helpful with autism disorders but that will likely require more time and more patients. It is a private clinic that expects payment to be paid in full at the time of the appointment. The fees may be able to be covered in part by your health insurance company but you would have to submit the bill and work with your insurance company yourself – and it may require preauthorization so check with them first if you hope for some reimbursement.
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.