02 / NEW DIAGNOSIS
Make room to understand the next step.
Making sense of findings and recommendations
This guide is for clinical reports and educational findings, including school results without a clinical diagnosis. Work through one finding or recommendation at a time, with your child’s strengths, interests and preferences in the discussion.
Choose a next action ↓Understand the findings, choose a support priority and identify the right contacts.
Minnesota first · No diagnosis required to browseA PRACTICAL WAY THROUGH
Take what you need. Start small.
WRITTEN GUIDE
Understand results
One useful step: Ask the evaluator or school team to explain one finding or recommendation in everyday language.
Start here
You might feel relief, uncertainty, frustration or several things at once. You do not need to settle every feeling before asking a practical question.
Read the report with two questions in mind: What does this help explain? What should we do with that information? Ask the person who completed it to explain the findings, the limits of the assessment and the reason behind the recommendations.
A report is not the whole description of your child. Keep strengths, interests, preferences and your child’s own communication part of the discussion.
If these are school evaluation results
This step is for educational findings too, even if your child does not have a clinical diagnosis. Ask what the school evaluation found, how the team reached its educational decision, and what support or next process it proposes.
If your child qualifies, ask how identified needs will be addressed in the educational plan. If not, ask for the written explanation and what other supports or review options you can discuss. A school result does not settle a separate clinical question.
Therapy names in plain language
The appropriate mix depends on the child’s needs and a qualified assessment, not simply the diagnosis label.
- Speech-language therapy supports communication, including understanding and expressing messages. Communication can include speech, gestures, pictures or devices.
- Occupational therapy (OT) supports participation in daily activities such as dressing, eating and routines; a therapist may address sensory needs affecting participation.
- Physical therapy (PT) addresses movement and physical skills.
- Mental-health therapy addresses concerns such as emotions, anxiety or coping, using an approach matched to the person.
If the answer is unclear or different from what you expected
Ask what was and was not established, what other explanations were considered and what follow-up is recommended. If you want another professional opinion, ask how to obtain records and what costs or coverage requirements apply. This guide cannot determine whether an individual report is correct.
Questions to ask
- What everyday need is this recommendation meant to address?
- What would helpful progress look like for our child?
- What will actually happen during sessions or at school?
- What does our child need to participate comfortably and communicate preferences?
- What appointments, home activities, travel and bills might be involved?
- When will we discuss whether it is helping or needs to change?
While you wait
- Ask the current team which support is appropriate while a referral is pending.
- Ask about alternatives and which priority could start first.
- Include your child’s interests, communication and ordinary family time.
Turn one recommendation into a decision
Private-use worksheet · No answers are collected or saved on this website.
- The need:
- The goal:
- The approach:
- The fit for our child:
- The effort and cost:
- The review conversation:
Use a private copy. A long list of recommendations does not mean every item must start together.
Pause or return: A useful next step is one you understand. Ask about alternatives; you do not need to arrange every support at once.
WHILE YOU WAIT
Keep a useful next step.
- Ask what supports are appropriate while referrals are pending.
- Confirm referral receipt and whether the provider serves your child’s age and needs.
- Ask about access needs, language support and the report or records a service requires.
- Keep ordinary family routines and enjoyable time on the calendar too.
MOVE ON WHEN YOU’RE READY
You can return at any time.
Move on when one recommendation and the next contact are clear. Return to the evaluator when findings or advice need clarification; you do not need to work through every recommendation at once.
OFFICIAL STARTING POINTS
Use the source. Ask your questions.
United States; general orientation to autism support approaches. Discuss individual fit with a qualified professional.
Minnesota; early-childhood and school pathways. Includes Help Me Grow and translated pathway guides.
Minnesota; official autism special-education criteria. This rule is specific to autism.
Minnesota; children under 19 who meet the program’s requirements. Includes official application and county or Tribal contacts.
Minnesota guidance • Sources checked 30 October 2026. Requirements can change; confirm details with the responsible team. Some linked resources focus specifically on autism.
Words you may see along the way
Plain-language orientation, not complete legal or clinical definitions. Use the full phrase on first mention.
- Developmental observation or monitoring
- Noticing how a child plays, learns, communicates and moves in everyday life. It organizes questions; it is not a diagnosis.
- Screening
- A structured check that can indicate whether fuller evaluation is needed; it is not itself a diagnosis. Ask about appropriate validated screening.
- Evaluation / assessment
- A process for answering particular questions about needs or functioning. Ask which questions and purposes it covers.
- Educational eligibility
- A decision under education-system criteria, separate from clinical diagnosis.
- Clinical diagnosis
- An appropriately qualified professional’s determination about a health or developmental condition. An online checklist or relative’s impression cannot establish it.
- Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
- Early-childhood education supports for eligible children.
- Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
- A written early-intervention plan for eligible infants and toddlers and their families.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- A written special-education plan for an eligible student.
- Occupational therapy (OT)
- Support for participation in daily activities.
- Physical therapy (PT)
- Support for movement and physical skills.
- Speech-language pathologist (SLP)
- A professional who evaluates and supports speech, language and communication needs.
- Medical Assistance (MA)
- Minnesota’s Medicaid program.
- State Medical Review Team (SMRT)
- A Minnesota disability-review team. Its decision is only one part of some benefits pathways.
- Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA)
- The federal-law name used for a Minnesota MA eligibility option for certain children with disabilities.
- Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention (EIDBI)
- A Minnesota healthcare benefit with its own requirements; not one therapy method.
- Comprehensive multi-disciplinary evaluation (CMDE)
- The assessment used to establish medical necessity for EIDBI.
- Referral
- A request directing someone to another service or professional. It may still need to be received and processed; it does not guarantee an outcome.
- Authorization
- A required approval for a particular service under applicable coverage rules. Ask what it covers.
- Deductible
- An amount a health plan may require toward covered care before specified plan payments begin. The plan determines the details.
- Premium
- The payment for insurance coverage itself, different from a visit’s cost.
- Explanation of benefits (EOB)
- An insurer’s explanation of how a claim was processed. Compare it with the provider’s bill and ask about discrepancies.
- Spenddown
- A cost-related eligibility condition in some MA situations. Ask the agency how it applies rather than treating it as a standard insurance deductible.
- Renewal
- A review of whether coverage or another approval continues. Follow the specific notice.
- Case manager / care coordinator
- Roles vary. Ask what this person can arrange, what they do not handle and who covers other needs.
- Support or accommodation
- A change intended to make an activity, environment or service more usable. Needs and preferences differ.
- MnCHOICES
- Minnesota’s assessment and support-planning approach for long-term services and supports. It is separate from clinical diagnosis, MA financial eligibility and disability certification.
- Community First Services and Supports (CFSS)
- A Minnesota program with its own eligibility and service requirements. Ask the responsible team how it may apply.