UNM CDD Has Three to Four Year Wait For Autism Spectrum Evaluations – Director Moriarta Goes Silent When Questioned
Children three years old and under have access to evaluations for developmental disorders such as Autism through the New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department.
But a child older than three in need of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has a three to four year wait to receive a diagnostic evaluation from the state’s primary center for developmental disabilities.
The state’s primary research and clinical care center for developmental disabilities – the University of New Mexico Center for Development and Disability (CDD) – states on its website that it provides diagnostic evaluations for ASD.
Advocates for children and adults with Autism reached out to The Candle expressing their frustration with the state’s failure to address this important vacuum of accessibility to diagnostic evaluations.
The evaluations are needed for a child (not covered by the Early Childhood Department) or an adult with Autism in order to receive clinical and supported living services based on where the individual sits on the spectrum.
Advocates claim that the waiting time for a diagnostic evaluation at the CDD is between two and four years.
When The Candle called the UNM CDD to confirm that claim, the person answering the phone stated there has been, and could continue to be, a wait time of about three years for CDD to provide what they claim they offer.
The Candle also reached out to State Representative Liz Thomson, who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee regarding the wait times.
Thomson, herself the mother of a child with Autism, texted back to us that “a long waiting list for evaluations has been the norm for decades.”
The University of New Mexico Center for Development and Disability (CDD) is headed by clinical psychologist, Marcia Moriarta, PsyD.
The UNM website states Dr. Moriarta is the Division Chief Executive and Medical Director Center for Development and Disability Professor, Department of Pediatrics SOM – Pediatrics.
She has a salary of about $210,000 a year.
Patricia Osbourn, the Division Director for Autism and Other Developmental Disability Programs has a salary of about $128,000 a year.
Mary Boehm is another CDD employee. She is listed as being attached to the Autism Spectrum Evaluation Clinic – presumably the clinic with a long wait time for evaluations. Her salary is just above $100,000 a year.
Of the 201 employees at the CDD, there are four that have designations on the CDD website as being attached to Autism services.
There are likely more that provide clinical services and research for Autism – however, that is hard to pin down because officials have been non-responsive to questions about what the CDD does for people with developmental disabilities.
The CDD has an annual payroll north of $14 million. That does not include benefits and other costs of running a 201-person operation.
When The Candle reached out to Dr. Moriarta more ten days ago asking to speak with her about the services, research, and clinical care her agency provides, she asked us to provide her with some context – she also said we would need to go through the UNM communications department.
The Candle followed up with her request and sent her an extensive email description of what we were interested in learning. The message listed about 25 questions – some specific and some general.
Among the questions posited, is question number 14, as follows:
- Can you provide an explanation as to the availability of services the UNM CDD offers or had been offering relative to the Autism Spectrum Evaluation Clinic,
a. delineating the services for which there is a waiting list,
b. the length of time a child must wait for those services/evaluations, and
c. the reasons that the any of the services are not readily available through the NM CDD
(i.e., does the CDD need additional funding from the state or elsewhere for personnel to
eliminate waiting lists)?
Dr. Moriarta has yet to respond – not even something like, “we need a little more time to answer.”
The Candle is aware that there are many at the CDD who provide important services and assistance to developmentally disabled New Mexicans and their families.
It is important that the leadership of the CDD, especially Dr. Moriarta, be willing to explain what they do and how the mission of the agency is impacting the developmentally disabled community.
We spent a long time reviewing information on the CDD website – while helpful, it fails to provide a real picture of what actually is available.
A serious discussion of the problems that have created the excessive waiting time for diagnostic evaluation for ASD would be a good place to start.
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