Autism Spectrum Disorder Assessments

The assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) requires a multidisciplinary approach often involving a paediatrician, a psychologist and a speech pathologist or occupational therapist.

Assessment aims to determine whether a child meets diagnostic criteria for ASD (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – 5th Edition TR) and seeks to evaluate the functioning and support needs of the child and their caregiver/s. This information, gathered from multiple sources, aims to inform future service delivery and funding needs.

To make a determination of ASD, a child’s behaviours and functioning are evaluated in relation to the diagnostic criteria set out in the international guidelines of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition. An ASD assessment aims to inform future service delivery and funding needs.

Assessments are tailored to the unique clinical needs of each child and include:

• A parent interview and questionnaire completion
• A child assessment
• An observation of the child in their education setting (if clinically necessary)
• A parent feedback session

A range of gold standard psychometric assessment measures are used to assess for ASD including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule 2nd Edition (ADOS-2) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R).