Autism Assessment in children and adolescents, with clinical psychologist Angel Lee Aube.
10 Minute Mood is a podcast hosted by clinical psychologists from Sydney City Psychology. Often in conversation with other experts in the field. About all things, mental health, wellness, and mood. Presented in bite-size 10 minute episodes, we hope that you can gain an understanding about each topic area in a short amount of time. Perhaps something will spark a particular area of interest for you. As always with podcasts, please treat everything you hear with a grain of salt.
Reach out to your doctor or health professional to get tailored advice suited specifically for you.
Enjoy.
Welcome to another episode of 10 Minute Mood. I’m Aspasia Karageorge and today I’m joined by our clinical psychologist who works with children and adolescents, Angel Lee Aube. We’ll be discussing the assessment of autism in childhood.
First, Angel will provide a general overview of the autism assessment process for children, why early diagnosis can be so crucial for providing supports early on in life, and the very important role that parents and caregivers play in the process. No surprises there really. Parents and caregivers are always crucial to understanding and working with the unique needs of each child.
Finally, I will then jump back in and talk about the assessment process that we use here at Sydney City Psychology. And I’ll explain why we do it the way we do it.
Autism is a lifelong developmental condition characterized by differences in social interaction, communication, restricted, and repetitive interests and behaviors and sensory sensitivities. Autism characteristics and traits exist on a spectrum. The word spectrum reflects the wide range of differences and challenges, and the extent to which a person might be affected. Autism has many different characteristics. And it’s important to note that no two people are alike.
Autism spectrum disorder is a diagnostic label. A formal diagnosis can be helpful in providing clinical care and appropriate services for children. Given that we’re talking about autism today, it is important to note that someone can identify as being autistic or on the autistic spectrum, but they might not identify as having a disorder.
So who can diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder in Australia? Psychologists can, this includes registered psychologists, clinical psychologists, and clinical neuropsychologists, also pediatricians and psychiatrists. So psychologists, pediatricians and psychiatrists can diagnose.
Whichever of the three professions that the assessing clinician falls into, they should be appropriately registered by a professional body, such as the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency known as AHPRA. Just to ensure that you’re receiving appropriate care. They should also have received specialized training in the provision of autism assessment and intervention. It’s a good idea to ask the assessing clinician if they’ve undertaken specialised training in that area.
It is important to find a qualified clinician who can take into account all the different factors, the most recent evidence and research, and can make an assessment based on the specifics of your child’s circumstances.
So over to you Angel.
Today we’ll be delving into a topic that affects many families worldwide. The process for autism assessment in children. Early identification and assessment are crucial for providing appropriate support and intervention.
Now let’s dive into the process. The first step in the assessment process is recognising early signs in children. These signs may vary from child to child, but may include delayed speech and language skills, repetitive behaviors, limited eye contact, difficulty with social interactions, and an intense focus on specific interests.
Parents and caregivers play a vital role in observing and reporting these behaviors to healthcare professionals. If parents or caregivers notice concerning behaviors in the child, seeking professional help is the next step. Child psychologists, pediatricians or developmental specialists are typically the primary professionals involved in the assessment process.
They will conduct a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether a child meets the criteria for an autism diagnosis. During the assessment, parents or caregivers will be asked to provide detailed information about the child’s development and behaviors. They’ll be given standardized questionnaires to complete, which helps gather essential insights about the child’s behavior in various settings.
Parental input is invaluable as it contributes to a more accurate assessment. Professionals will directly observe the child’s behavior and interactions in different settings such as at home, in school, or during therapy sessions.
These observations help assess social communication skills, response to sensory stimuli, play patterns, and other behaviors that are indicative of autism.
Professionals use standardised diagnostic tools like the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, or the ADOS. Or the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised, also known as the ADIR. These tools aid in evaluating the child’s behavior against specific criteria outlined in a diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, also known as the DSM-5.
In some cases, additional assessments may be conducted to rule out other developmental or coexisting conditions. These assessments could include cognitive testing, genetic testing, or medical evaluations to ensure comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs.
Receiving an autism diagnosis can be an emotional experience for parents. It s essential for professionals to provide support, empathy, and clear explanations about the diagnosis. The diagnosis opens a door to early interventions and appropriate support services, such as the NDIS, that can significantly improve the child’s development and quality of life.
Early intervention is crucial for children with autism. Once the assessment is complete the child can then begin receiving tailored interventions based on their unique needs. These interventions may include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, psychological therapy, behavioral therapy, social skills training, and more.
Remember, early recognition and assessment play a vital role in providing children with autism, the support they need to thrive.
So angel has just described some of the key factors that go into assessment and diagnosis for autism in children.
In the next half of this episode, I want to talk about how we do it here at Sydney City Psychology. And why it is that we’ve chosen to do our assessments in this manner.
Assessment for autism by a qualified health professional can follow a few different processes. At Sydney City Psychology, we have created an assessment process that is comprehensive. Because we think it’s important to take time and care when assessing children. To make sure we understand all the individual factors that make up each unique child, but also to provide you with as much information as you might need if you decide to pursue NDIS funding, or any other supports and interventions.
So the first step of the process is that Angel or another one of our psychologists will explore the issue with you and decide collaboratively whether or not a formal autism assessment is needed. If you go ahead with a formal assessment, then there’ll be four sessions.
First, the psychologist will conduct a diagnostic interview. We use the Autism Diagnostic Interview Revised, known as the ADI-R tool. This means that the psychologist will ask questions relevant to the diagnostic criteria. You’ll also meet with the resident GP to rule out any other possible causes of symptoms.
Second, the psychologist will conduct a cognitive assessment. And this is to get a well-rounded understanding of areas of cognitive strength and areas of challenge. And this helps to inform the recommendations for intervention strategies so that they’re best suited to the needs of your child. For this, we use the WISC-V.
Third, the psychologist and your child will undertake the ADOS-2. This is the Autistic Diagnostic Observation Schedule version two. It’s an assessment tool that uses play and activities to observe behavioral patterns that might be related to autism in children.
And at the end of it all. You will receive a detailed report from the psychologist. This report pulls together all the information available, including if there’s a diagnosis of autism or any other diagnoses. It also includes personalised recommendations for ongoing support and interventions. So the psychologist will have a meeting with you to talk through the report in detail – but also so that they can answer any questions you have, so that together you can think about possible next steps and supports and treatment. And taking time to ensure that you feel supported too, as the parent or the carer.
We can also organise follow up with other professionals like schools, psychiatrist, GP, allied health professionals. It all depends on the precise needs of your child.
So that’s how we do an autism assessment for children at Sydney City Psychology. There are other places out there that do autism assessments for children and people do it slightly differently. So we definitely encourage you to look around and find the process that seems to make the most sense for your needs.
Please do reach out and have a chat with us about what it is you’re looking for. And if you have any other questions about autism, neurodiversity, o r anything psychology related, please get in touch. We do love hearing from you. Until next time. Stay well.
Sydney City Psychology is a private psychology practice located in central Sydney, Australia. We also offer online appointments.
If you’d like to know more about us, you can find us at sydneycitypsychology.com.au. Or you can find us on Macquarie Street in Sydney CBD.
Find our email address and contact form on our website, as well as all our social media accounts.
But remember if you or someone you love is in immediate distress, then get in touch with emergency services or a crisis mental health support line in your country.
In Australia, crisis support is available for free 24 hours a day at Lifeline. The number is 13 11 14.
