thinkALS™ for Faster Diagnosis

On average, it takes 10-15 months from the time a person first notices symptoms to receiving an ALS diagnosis. During this time, they are often subject to redundant and painful diagnostic testing and even erroneous diagnoses that result in unnecessary treatments, such as spine surgeries, carpal tunnel releases, and immunotherapies.

Diagnostic delays not only cause significant anxiety and stress, but they also prevent people with ALS from:​

  • Accessing multidisciplinary care​
  • Receiving disease-modifying medications and life-sustaining treatments (e.g., noninvasive ventilation, feeding tubes) 
  • Enrolling in clinical trials​
  • Pursuing disability benefits​
People with ALS cannot wait, so we are encouraging all health care providers to “think ALS” from the very beginning.
Doctor and patient

thinkALS™

thinkALS is a peer-reviewed, easy-to-use tool that can help reduce the time it takes to diagnose the disease and refer people to multidisciplinary ALS clinics.* It provides lists of clinical features that support—or don’t support—an ALS diagnosis.  

thinkALS also provides clear guidance to primary care doctors, neurologists, and other non-ALS specialists on how to refer patients to specialty clinics so they are seen and evaluated faster.

GET THE TOOL

thinkALS was developed by a dedicated group of ALS clinicians and physician scientists and reviewed in depth by members of the Time to Diagnosis Working Group, which also included people with ALS, caregivers, pharmaceutical industry representatives, and ALS Association leaders.

*This tool cannot be substituted as a diagnostic instrument but used only as a diagnostic guide. 

Referrals to Multidisciplinary ALS Clinics

Our goal is for consultations at ALS clinics to happen within two weeks of referral. Most ALS centers in the United States can accommodate urgent ALS referrals within this timeframe, but the correct referral language is needed. Please state clearly in your referral “CLINICAL SUSPICION FOR ALS.”

FIND AN ALS CENTER OR CLINIC

Click here for additional ALS specialist sites, including medical institutions in Japan, Israel, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Turkey, India and Italy.

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