Treat the co-occurring symptoms
Anxiety, mood, focus, sleep, and irritability, the pieces that respond to careful psychiatric care.
Support for what comes with it.
Autism and developmental differences rarely travel alone. They often bring anxiety, irritability, trouble with focus, sleep, and big emotions. We don't treat autism itself, but we can treat those psychiatric challenges, and that can change daily life.
Many children, teens, and adults with autism, ADHD, or other developmental differences struggle most with the things that come alongside the diagnosis. Those pieces are treatable, and treating them well can make school, work, relationships, and home life noticeably easier.
What we help with
- Anxiety, worry, and difficulty with change or transitions
- Irritability, meltdowns, and big emotional swings
- Attention, focus, and co-occurring ADHD
- Sleep problems
- Low mood and depression
- Day-to-day behavioral challenges at home and school
What we don't do
We're honest about our lane. We don't treat autism itself, and we aren't a replacement for behavioral therapy (such as ABA), speech therapy, occupational therapy, developmental pediatrics, or neuropsychological testing. We focus on the psychiatric piece, and we're glad to work alongside the rest of your team.
How we work
Care is individualized and, for younger patients, family-centered. We coordinate with the providers and therapies you already have, keep medication thoughtful and conservative, and follow through so adjustments don't have to wait.
What to expect
Steady, coordinated support
Alongside your team
We coordinate with therapists, schools, and developmental providers rather than replacing them.
Across the lifespan
Children, teens, and adults. Family-centered for younger patients, respectful of independence for older ones.
If you're looking for an autism diagnosis, ABA, speech, or occupational therapy, those are specialized services we don't provide, and we're happy to point you toward them. Our role is the psychiatric care that works alongside them.
If you're in a mental health emergency, call or text 988 or go to your nearest emergency department. Sigma is not an emergency service and is not available 24/7.
Behavioral & Developmental Questions
Common questions
Do you diagnose or treat autism itself?
No. We don't diagnose autism or provide the developmental and behavioral therapies that address it directly, such as ABA, speech, or occupational therapy. What we treat are the psychiatric challenges that often come alongside autism and developmental differences, such as anxiety, irritability, attention, sleep, and mood.
Can you work alongside my child's other providers?
Yes, and we prefer to. We coordinate with therapists, schools, and developmental specialists so the psychiatric piece fits the rest of the care.
Do you see adults with developmental differences, or only children?
Both. We support children, teens, and adults.
From the Journal
Further reading
Family
Autism and Mental Health: How a Psychiatrist Can Help
Psychiatry doesn't treat autism itself, but it can treat the anxiety, mood, sleep, focus, and irritability that often come with it. What that looks like, for kids and adults.
Read FamilyWhen to Take a Struggling Child to a Psychiatrist
How to tell the difference between a hard phase and something worth a psychiatric evaluation, what to watch for, and what a first visit for a child is really like.
Read ADHDDo I Have ADHD, or Am I Just Overwhelmed?
A first-person self-check on ADHD vs ordinary overwhelm, burnout, and anxiety. The questions a real evaluation asks, why TikTok self-diagnosis is shaky, and the next step.
ReadStart Here
Let's make daily life easier.
Book a consultation or ask us anything on a free 15-minute intro call. Honest answers, no pressure.