Frequently Asked
Questions

ANNA specializes in early childhood diagnostics for ages 1-4 and NDBI-based ABA services for autistic children ages 1-6.

ANNA currently operates centers in Braintree, Foxborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, and Woburn. We look forward to serving additional communities in Massachusetts and beyond in the near future – contact us to find out if we’ll be in your area soon!

Our center is open for services Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm. We offer block scheduling with morning (8:00am-12:00pm), afternoon (12:30pm-4:30pm), and full day options.

At this time, ANNA provides only center-based services. Our centers are designed to support naturalistic, play-based learning with opportunities for social interaction and structured support.

ANNA’s clinical model is built on Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBIs), which integrate developmental science with evidence-based behavioral strategies. Services are play-based, child-led, and relationship-centered. 

We also take a neurodiversity-affirming approach, meaning that our goal is not to make children appear less autistic, but to support communication, connection, and wellbeing while respecting each child’s unique way of experiencing the world.

Parent coaching is a structured support model that teaches parents and caregivers practical strategies for supporting their autistic child's development in everyday life. Unlike clinical therapy, parent coaching focuses on building the caregiver's skills and confidence so that learning and connection happen throughout the day, not just during scheduled sessions. At ANNA, parent coaching is embedded into every family's program through our Project ImPACT-based parent coaching model.

Parent coaching is a structured support model that teaches parents and caregivers practical strategies for supporting their autistic child's development in everyday life. Unlike clinical therapy, parent coaching focuses on building the caregiver's skills and confidence so that learning and connection happen throughout the day, not just during scheduled sessions. At ANNA, parent coaching is embedded into every family's program through our Project ImPACT-based parent coaching model.

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You can get started by contacting ANNA directly. No referral is required. Our team will verify your insurance, walk you through the evaluation process, and connect you with a clinical psychologist. We serve families throughout Massachusetts from our centers in Braintree, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, and Woburn.

At ANNA, autism testing is a multi-session diagnostic evaluation. It includes standardized assessments such as the ADOS-2, a comprehensive developmental history, parent interviews, and observations. The goal is not just a diagnostic conclusion but a full understanding of your child's strengths, profile, and support needs.

Evaluations at ANNA typically involve multiple sessions scheduled over a period of a few weeks, including at least one in-person visit and virtual sessions. After testing is complete, families receive a written report and a feedback session with the evaluating psychologist.

ANNA does not perform standalone autism testing using a single tool. Instead, our clinical psychologists conduct comprehensive diagnostic evaluations that draw on multiple sources of information, including standardized assessments such as the ADOS-2, developmental history, parent interviews, and observations across settings. This approach gives families a more complete and accurate picture of their child than any single screener or test can provide. If you are wondering how to test for autism or whether your child needs a full evaluation, our team is happy to help you understand the process and decide on the right next step.

An autism screening is a brief questionnaire used to identify whether a child may benefit from a closer look. It is not diagnostic. An autism evaluation is a comprehensive, multi-session process conducted by a specialist clinician. It is the only process that can confirm or rule out an autism diagnosis. At ANNA, we offer full diagnostic evaluations for children ages 1 through 4.

Sometimes it is. Plenty of young children eat from a short list of foods for a while and widen it again on their own, with no help from anyone. What is worth a closer look is when the list keeps shrinking, when meals are distressing for your child or for you, or when gagging, coughing or choking is part of eating.

Whether it gets called picky eating, selective eating or food refusal matters much less than what is causing it—and no one can tell you that from a description, an article or a checklist. That is what an evaluation is for.

Same profession, different focus. ANNA's Table SLPs specialize in working with pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. ANNA wants your child's care to be provided by an expert who is passionate about feeding.

Children from birth to age 6.

Evaluations are scheduled on Saturdays. It is deliberate: a weekend appointment means you don't have to pull your child out of school or daycare, and it usually means both caregivers can be there, which matters more than people expect for a feeding evaluation.

No. ANNA's Table serves children up to age 6, with or without a diagnosis. Feeding and swallowing difficulties show up in all kinds of children, for all kinds of reasons. If a diagnosis is what you are looking for, that is a different service at ANNA: autism testing and diagnostic evaluations. Intake can point you to either one.

During your child's evaluation, a speech-language pathologist will spend time getting to know your child's eating and mealtime history, then watch your child eat and drink foods you've brought from home (or foods we offer, depending on what's most helpful). We look at both sides of feeding — how your child responds to different textures, tastes, and the mealtime experience itself, as well as how their mouth, throat, and swallow are working together to keep eating safe and comfortable. The evaluation is relaxed and the environment of our centers are not clinical or scary. Afterward, we'll walk you through what we saw and, if therapy is recommended, talk with you about next steps and what a treatment plan could look like for your family.

If you have concerns about your child's development, communication, or social skills, an evaluation can help you understand their needs.

We can build on existing assessments. Bring any prior reports and we'll incorporate them into your child's individualized plan.

After an initial conversation, most families begin care within a few weeks, depending on insurance verification and scheduling.

Yes - we are in-network with many major providers including Tufts, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and more.

At your own table. Therapy is delivered by telemedicine, so your SLP joins the meal you were already going to serve, in the chair your child already sits in, with the plates and cups you already own. Feeding skills have to work in your kitchen in the end, so that is where we would rather practise them.

Our speech-language pathologists are licensed in Massachusetts, so telehealth sessions are available anywhere in the state. If you live outside Massachusetts, tell intake and they will say what is possible.

Anywhere in the state. Feeding therapy here is delivered by telehealth, so there is no catchment area and no drive: a family in MetroWest, in Greater Boston, on the South Shore or out past Worcester joins the same way, from their own kitchen. What bounds this is licensure rather than geography, which is why intake checks your address before you book.

ANNA's seven centers—Andover, Braintree, Foxborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston and Woburn—are where the center-based services happen. If your child already goes to one of them, feeding therapy can be added without adding a trip.

At breakfast and dinner mealtimes—the times feeding difficulties actually happen. A session is a real meal with your SLP on the screen, not a practice one scheduled around the clinic's day.

A phone, tablet or laptop with a camera, propped where it can see your child's face and hands, and the meal you'd normally serve. Nothing needs to be bought and nothing needs to be tidied. Your SLP will help you find the camera angle on the first call.

We'll send you a link to join; there is no app to install.

Licensed speech-language pathologists provide the feeding therapy. You may not have the same clinician for the evaluation and the treatment.

Our team includes Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), licensed psychologists, and Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) trained in NDBI.

Yes - we have multilingual staff and can accommodate families who speak various languages.

We respect both identity-first and person-first language. Different families and individuals have different preferences, and we honor that.

ANNA's Table is in-network with Mass General Brigham (MGB), Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), and Aetna. What a plan covers still depends on your specific benefits, so our team can verify yours and walk you through your options before your first appointment.

It depends entirely on what the evaluation finds, so we won't quote you a number before we've met your child. What we will do is tell you at the evaluation what we expect, and revisit it with you as your child's plan progresses.

Yes, and it's worth doing. ANNA BCBAs and SLPs each bring a unique skill set and perspective to the table. When they work together, your child gets the full benefit.