Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

  • Dr. Lim is a general pediatrician with a special interest in developmental and behavioral health. This practice is a good fit for children with concerns about development, behavior, attention, autism, learning, anxiety, emotional regulation, or parenting challenges who would benefit from a thoughtful medical evaluation and individualized guidance.

    Children with multiple complex developmental or behavioral conditions or severe psychiatric illness, such as psychosis, fall out of the scope of this practice.

  • No. Where The Forest Grows focuses exclusively on developmental and behavioral care. Children should continue seeing their primary care pediatrician for routine care, vaccinations, illnesses, and ongoing medical needs.

    Dr. Lim partners with your child's primary care provider whenever possible. With your consent, she will share a summary of your child’s evaluation and individualized recommendations to help coordinate care.

  • As a pediatrician, Dr. Lim evaluates developmental and behavioral concerns through both a medical and developmental lens, considering how underlying health conditions (e.g. allergies, sleep disorders, iron deficiency, or constipation) may contribute to a child's symptoms. Her approach considers the whole child (e.g. medical, developmental, emotional, and environmental factors) to provide comprehensive, individualized recommendations. She also collaborates with your child's primary care provider to coordinate care when appropriate.

    Some children may also benefit from additional testing by a psychologist, such as cognitive (IQ) testing or an evaluation for specific learning disabilities. If further testing would be helpful, Dr. Lim will discuss the recommendation with you and help connect you with the appropriate resources.

  • Not at this time. If medication may be beneficial, Dr. Lim will include recommendations in your child's report for your pediatrician to review. Medication management may be offered in the future. If you'd like to be notified, please join our email list for practice updates.

  • Many families benefit from an earlier evaluation while waiting for a developmental pediatric appointment. Dr. Lim can help clarify concerns, identify next steps, recommend therapies or school supports, and determine whether additional specialty evaluation would still be helpful.

  • No. While Dr. Lim appreciates referrals from pediatricians and other healthcare providers, a referral is not required. Families are welcome to self-refer and contact us directly to schedule an appointment.

    However, some insurance plans require a referral or prior authorization for out-of-network reimbursement. If this applies to your plan, please contact your insurance company and coordinate any required referral or prior authorization with your child's primary care provider before your appointment.

Practice Approach

  • With your consent, Dr. Lim will send your child's final evaluation report and personalized recommendations to your primary care provider. If needed, she is also happy to communicate directly with your child's pediatrician to discuss the evaluation or answer questions.

  • Not necessarily. Depending on your child's age, developmental stage, and the reason for the evaluation, a specific diagnosis or answer may not be possible after the initial visit. Some conditions become clearer over time or require additional information, observation, or testing before a diagnosis can be made confidently.

    If Dr. Lim believes this is a possibility based on your child's history, she will discuss it with you during the scheduling process.

  • Trauma-informed care means recognizing that every child and family has unique experiences that shape their development, relationships, and behavior. It begins with compassion and curiosity rather than judgment and seeks to understand the "why" behind a child's challenges.

    This approach also recognizes the healing power of safe, supportive relationships. Rather than focusing only on problems or diagnoses, Dr. Lim works with families to build on their strengths, foster resilience, and support healthy development. She believes that growth and change are possible for both children and caregivers.

    Trauma-informed care also means recognizing that behavior is communication and that children grow best when they feel safe, understood, and supported.

  • Resilience is the ability to adapt, learn, and grow through life's challenges. While it is natural to want to protect our children from pain and disappointment, we cannot prevent every hardship they will encounter. Instead, our goal is to help children develop the skills, confidence, and supportive relationships they need to navigate adversity—not just to get through it, but to continue growing and thriving.

    A central aim of Where The Forest Grows is not simply to reduce symptoms, but to partner with families in building resilience that will support children throughout their lives.

Insurance & Cost

  • Developmental and behavioral evaluations require time to listen, understand your child's unique strengths and challenges, and develop personalized recommendations. By practicing outside of insurance, Dr. Lim can spend more time with families, avoid unnecessary administrative restrictions, and focus on providing the care each child needs rather than what insurance allows.

    Dr. Lim can provide a superbill that you may submit to your insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. Coverage varies by plan, so it is best to check with your insurance carrier about your out-of-network benefits.

  • If you plan to submit a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, it may help to contact your insurance company before an appointment.

    Helpful questions to ask include:

    • Do I have out-of-network benefits for office visits with physicians that are not my primary care provider?

    • Does my insurance cover autism assessments?

    • Do I need a referral or prior authorization?

    • What is my out-of-network deductible, and has any of it been met?

    • What percentage of the allowed amount will be reimbursed after my deductible?

    • Can you tell me whether these CPT codes are covered under my plan? (Common billing codes are provided in the next FAQ.)

  • If you plan to submit a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement, your insurance company may ask for the billing (CPT) codes that could be used for your visit.

    Commonly used codes include:

    • 99205 – New patient office visit (high complexity)

    • 99214 / 99215 – Established patient office visit (moderate/high complexity)

    • 99417 – Prolonged physician time (when applicable)

    • 96110 – Developmental screening

    • 96127 - Brief emotional or behavioral assessment

    • 96160 - Health, safety, or psychosocial screening questionnaire

    Codes billed will depend on the services provided during your child's visit.

  • Yes. Healthcare can be a significant investment for many families. If the cost of an evaluation is a concern, please let me know during the scheduling process so we can discuss available options.

    Payment plans may be available for up to six months and require a credit card on file.

Autism Assessments

  • To provide the most comprehensive evaluation, Dr. Lim requests records from your child's primary care provider, including medical records and growth charts, as well as any laboratory or genetic testing results. Please also provide copies of previous evaluations completed by therapists, psychologists, schools, or other specialists, including any neuropsychological or cognitive (IQ) testing.

    Whenever possible, all records should be received before your first visit. If essential records are unavailable, your appointment may need to be rescheduled to ensure a thorough evaluation.

  • Not every evaluation results in an obvious Yes/No answer. Some children have features of autism but do not fully meet diagnostic criteria, while others may benefit from additional time, information, or developmental follow-up before a diagnosis can be made. If this happens, Dr. Lim will discuss her clinical impressions, explain what is known and what remains uncertain, and provide individualized recommendations and a plan for next steps. This may include additional testing with another provider or allowing time for your child's development to become clearer through follow-up evaluations.

    Before scheduling, Dr. Lim personally reviews each visit request to help determine whether your child is likely to benefit from an evaluation at Where The Forest Grows. Even when a diagnosis is not yet clear, an evaluation can still provide valuable insights into your child's strengths, areas of need, and the supports that may help them thrive.

    If there is uncertainty, with your permission, Dr. Lim may also present your child’s case without identifying information at an ECHO conference, where a multidisciplinary group of autism specialists can provide additional perspectives and recommendations.

  • Children may feel shy, anxious, overwhelmed, or simply unwilling to participate in a new environment. For some children, this is one advantage of telemedicine, as they can be observed in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.

    A child's behavior during the visit (e.g. how they interact, communicate, regulate emotions, and respond to new situations) can still provide valuable clinical information. If your child is unable to complete all planned activities, Dr. Lim will use the information available from the evaluation, parent interview, records, questionnaires, and observations to determine the best next steps. In some cases, an additional visit or referral for further testing may be recommended.

  • Dr. Lim uses standardized assessment tools that have been validated for telemedicine, along with a comprehensive clinical evaluation. Research has shown that telemedicine can be an effective way to evaluate many children for autism when used thoughtfully and in the appropriate clinical setting.

    A diagnosis is never based on a single observation or assessment tool. Instead, Dr. Lim integrates information from a detailed developmental history, parent interview, questionnaires, review of records, and direct observation of your child's communication, social interaction, play, and behavior.

    For many children, being observed in their home environment also provides valuable insight into how they naturally interact with their family and surroundings.

  • No. Autism evaluations at Where The Forest Grows are performed by Dr. Lim using her medical expertise, clinical judgment, and validated assessment tools. While technology can support healthcare in many ways, AI is not used to diagnose autism in this practice. Every diagnosis is based on a comprehensive clinical evaluation and the thoughtful integration of information from multiple sources.