Autism or autism spectrum disorder is a neurological disorder that affects an individual’s way of interaction, communication, behaviour and learning ability. Autism, especially in children, is a common condition in Australia. So, if your child or some close to you has autism, keep reading. In this blog, we will discuss the autism assessment in Australia.

Autism assessment

In Australia, autism for both children and adults can be assessed by professional psychiatrists. WPS or Western Psychological Services approves several methods of assessment to diagnose autism. Below are the common methods used for assessing autism spectrum disorder-

·      Interviewing the individual from various perspectives.

·      A history of school, family or other relevant setups.

·    Observing the individual within several different settings or inquiring about an individual’s characteristics in a number of different settings.

·    For both structured and natural observation for autism assessment use of evidence-based screening.

Assessment tools for autism diagnosis

WPS approves several assessment tools for autism diagnosis. Here is a list of commonly used assessment tools for autism diagnosis-

·   Autism Detection in Early Childhood (ADEC)

·   The Child Autism Rating Scale (CARS)

·   The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS)

·   The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)

·   The Autism Diagnostic Interview – revised (ADI-R)

·   Moreover, cognitive tests and screening are often used for assessing autism by professionals

Among the above, some assessment tools are considered gold standard assessment tools for autism diagnosis by WPS. These tools are ADI-R or  Autism Diagnostic Interview – revised and ADOS -2 or second edition of  Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule.

Who can offer an autism diagnosis?

If any of your close ones has autism and you are looking for a quality assessment for autism diagnosis then you should also learn about who can offer autism diagnosis. Here are some details on who can offer autism assessment –

·       Professional psychiatrist 

A professional psychiatrist who is specialised in treating autism and other behavioural problems can help in assessing autism. Most people in Australia opt for professional psychiatrists for autism spectrum disorder assessment.

·       GP

Apart from that any general physician can carry out an autism spectrum disorder assessment. They will be using screening, observation and other assessment tools to diagnose autism.

Conclusion

Autism is a common condition in Australia, it can also range from light, mild to moderate rates of autism. Also, there are several methods and tools for autism spectrum disorder assessment approved by WPS.  Above we have discussed autism assessment methods in Australia.