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The SMART (School Medical Autism Review) Team consists of community service providers who have the experience and passion for supporting local families. The SMART team will make recommendations or referrals to a Certified Center of Excellence (COE) Provider who is able to evaluate and provide an Autism diagnosis if one is warranted.
The SMART Team is part of the Washington State Medical Home Partnerships Project. The team consists of a group of local service providers and COEs whose goal is to help local families with timely access to Autism evaluation and referrals to local supports and services. We have trained Centers of Excellence providers who can provide Autism evaluation and diagnosis.
Our Team meets monthly to review referrals and determine the next steps for families. We work closely with the Children and Youth with Special Health Needs program to ensure that families are provided with resources and a next steps plan whether their child receives and Autism diagnosis or not.
An Autism Center of Excellence (COE) is any medical practice, psychology practice, multidisciplinary assessment team or individual health care provider that:
Anyone can make a referral to the SMART Team for a child 10 years of age or younger, including medical professionals, school districts, service providers, and parents. There is no cost to families for this service. (If you are from an agency/school district/medical office etc. and are referring a family to the SMART Team, we ask that you please inform the family about the referral prior to sending it in, thank you.)
There are three ways to make a referral:
After a referral is made, the SMART Team will contact the person who made the referral to collect some more information. The parent or guardian will need to fill out a SMART Team Packet. The parent or guardian AND people close to the child who was referred (such as their teacher, daycare provider, doctor, or other family members) will need to fill out a short questionnaire about the child's behaviors and characteristics. The SMART Team Coordinator will mail or email the packet to you.
The Arc of Grays Harbor can help!
For assistance in English contact: Christie Chiles - Information Services Director at 360.537.7000 ext. 001
¿Necesita ayuda para completar el paquete SMART en español? Comuníquese con Estela Aguilar en The Arc of Grays Harbor al 360-537-7000 ext. 002.
Do you have questions about the SMART process? Reach out to a SMART Coordinator in Grays Harbor or Pacific County. Our Coordinators can provide information about the SMART Team, what to expect during the SMART process, how to make a referral, and much more. If you need help filling out your SMART Packet, reach out to The Arc of Grays Harbor and someone on their team can help you.
Grays Harbor County Public HealthStefani Joesten – SMART CoordinatorOffice: 360.500.4350Work Cell: 360.660.5024Fax: 360.533.6272Mailing Address:2109 Sumner AveAberdeen, WA 98520
Pacific County Public HealthPrincess Klus – SMART CoordinatorOffice: 360.875.9300, ext 2628
Work Cell: 360.214.6216Fax: 360.875.9323Mailing Address:PO Box 26South Bend, WA 98586
2022 SMART Resource Directory for Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties
Grays Harbor Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs program offersfamily support, care coordination, & health information
Pacific County Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs program offersfamily support, care coordination, & health information
RUBI is a parent education program designed to decrease challenging behaviors in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Grays Harbor an Pacific P2P provides parent support, education, and resources for parents of a loved one with a disability or special healthcare need
South Sound Parent to Parent is the Providing Agency for Early Support for Infants and Toddlers in Grays Harbor providing Family Resources Coordination and Direct Services for children, ages Birth to Three.
This program is for expectant parents and parents with children 3 years old and under. Parent education, home visiting, and developmental screenings.
Basics NW provides Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy in Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties.
Focused Behavior Solutions provides ABA Therapy in Montesano, WA (Grays Harbor) for ages 1-6.
Informing Families is a resource provided by the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council that provides comprehensive disability information.
Provider Brochure
The Grays Harbor and Pacific County SMART Team is currently accepting new members. Our members include service providers such as medical professionals and therapy providers, employees of local agencies that serve the disability community, people with lived experience, special education staff, and more. If you are interested in joining the Pacific and Grays Harbor Counties SMART Team, please contact Stefani Joesten at 360.660.5024.
What is a Center of Excellence (COE)? An autism Center of Excellence (COE) is a primary care provider, psychologist or psychiatrist that has received the COE training authorized by the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) and has been judged by the HCA to be qualified to diagnose autism and write a prescription for Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) services if appropriate. If you would like more information about how to become a Center of Excellence, visit the Medical Home Partnership website.
At this time the Pacific and Grays Harbor Counties SMART Team is able to take referrals for children 10 years of age and younger. Due to their complexities, some kiddos are a better fit for our regional autism centers like Mary Bridge or Seattle Children's. This would include: -Children with multiple diagnoses such as oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, etc. -Children with extensive trauma-Families requesting a “rule-out”-Children who have had previous evaluations for autism.
We ask that you please inform the family about the referral prior to sending it in, thank you. There are three ways to make a referral:Use our online referral form Print out a referral form to mail (instructions included in form) Contact a SMART Coordinator or The Arc of Grays Harbor
Grays Harbor SMART Coordinator
Office: 360.500.4350Work Cell: 360.660.5024Fax: 360.533.6272
Reach out to Stefani Joesten if you live if Grays Harbor County and you have questions about the SMART Team.
Pacific County SMART Coordinator
Office: 360.875.9300, ext 2628Work Cell: 360.214.6216Fax: 360.875.9323
Reach out to Princess Klus if you live in Pacific County and you have questions about the SMART Team.
Help with SMART Packet
English: 360.537.7000 Español: 360.537.7000 presione el número dos
Reach out to Christie at The Arc if you need assistance filling out your SMART Packet. Comuníquese con Estela at The Arc si necesita ayuda para completar su paquete SMART en español.
For suggestions or changes to this page, please contact: Christie Chiles, The Arc of Grays Harbor Information Services Director at info@arcgh.orgWebsite © 2023 by The Arc of Grays Harbor a 501(c)(3) organization