(1) Any person may refer a client suspected of meeting the criteria in WAC 182-531A-0400 to a center of excellence (COE) for an evaluation.

(2) The individual COE must complete a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and provide:

(a) Documentation showing how the autism spectrum disorder or other intellectual/developmental disability (for which there is evidence ABA is effective) diagnosis was made or confirmed by an approved individual COE provider that includes:

(i) Results of formal diagnostic procedures performed by a clinician, including name of measure, dates, and results, as available; or

(ii) Clinical findings and observations used to confirm the diagnosis;

(b) Documentation showing that the client's behaviors or skills deficits adversely affect development or communication, or demonstrating injurious behavior, such that:

(i) The client cannot adequately participate in home, school, or community activities because behavior or skill deficit interferes with these activities; or

(ii) The client presents a safety risk to self or others;

(c) Documentation showing:

(i) Less intrusive or less intensive behavioral interventions have been tried and were not successful; or

(ii) There is no equally effective alternative available for reducing interfering behaviors, increasing prosocial behaviors, or maintaining desired behaviors;

(d) Recommendations that address all of the client's health care needs;

(e) A statement that the evaluating and prescribing provider believes that there is a reasonable expectation that the requested ABA services will result in measurable improvement in the client's behavior or skills; and

(f) An order for ABA services. If ordered, a copy of the COE's comprehensive diagnostic evaluation and multidisciplinary clinical treatment plan must be forwarded to the ABA provider selected by the client or the client's guardian under this chapter or provided to the client or the client's guardian to forward to the selected ABA provider.

(3) The COE must also include the following items if it possesses a copy:

(a) Results of routine developmental screening;

(b) Audiology and vision assessment results, or documentation that vision and hearing were determined to be within normal limits during assessment and not a barrier to completing a valid evaluation;

(c) The name of the completed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screening tool, including date completed and significant results;

(d) Documentation of a formal cognitive or developmental assessment performed by the COE or another qualified clinician, including name of measure, dates, results, and standardized scores providing verbal, nonverbal, and full-scale scores; and

(e) Documentation of a formal adaptive behavior assessment performed by the COE for developmental/intellectual disability or another qualified clinician, including name of measure, dates, results, and standardized scores providing scores of each domain.