Autism Diagnosis in Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore has Maryland's strongest diagnostic capacity, concentrated in its academic institutions.

The Kennedy Krieger Institute is the marquee resource: its Center for Autism Services, Science and Innovation (CASSI, formerly the Center for Autism and Related Disorders) and Center for Development and Learning provide interdisciplinary diagnostic evaluations. Kennedy Krieger is affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical System add further academic diagnostic capacity. Johns Hopkins Bayview runs an adult autism and developmental disorders clinic.

Waits are the main challenge. As at academic autism centers nationwide, evaluation waits at the marquee centers can run many months. Kennedy Krieger provides waitlist guidance and a dedicated waitlist line for families. Private psychologists and developmental practices across the Baltimore metro also offer ADOS-2-based evaluations, sometimes with shorter waits — worth pursuing in parallel.