How is autism diagnosed?
There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observations of the child’s communication, behavior and developmental levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared by other disorders, a doctor may complete various medical tests to rule out other possible causes. Diagnosis is difficult for a practitioner with limited training or exposure to autism, since the characteristics of the disorder vary so much. Locating a medical specialist or a diagnostician who has experience with autism is most important. A child should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team which may include a neurologist, psychologist, developmental pediatrician, speech/language therapist, learning consultant or other professionals knowledgeable about autism. Only with a careful evaluation can the earliest and best intervention be designed for each child.
• There are no medical tests for diagnosing autism. An accurate diagnosis must be based on observation of the individual’s communication, behavior, and developmental levels. However, because many of the behaviors associated with autism are shared by other disorders, various medical tests may be ordered to rule out or identify other possible causes of the symptoms being exhibited. • Since the characteristics of the disorder vary so much, ideally a child should be evaluated by a multidisciplinary team which may include a neurologist, psychologist, developmental pediatrician, speech/language therapist, learning consultant, or another professional knowledgeable about autism. Diagnosis is difficult for a practitioner with limited training or exposure to autism. Sometimes, autism has been misdiagnosed by well-meaning professionals. Difficulties in the recognition and acknowledgment of autism often lead to a lack of services to meet the complex needs of individuals with autism. • A brief obse
Research indicates that early diagnosis is critically important. Therefore, parents and caregivers should be aware of some of the earliest signs of possible autism. Behaviors of concern include: • regression (loss of) of previously achieved language milestones, including babbling • lack of pretend play, or even imitative play, such as babbling on a toy telephone • lack of pointing or looking toward where another points • lack of response to one’s name, or decreasing response to name • lack of pointing to indicate needs and lack of response to pointing behaviors of others Once a suspicion is raised, the diagnosis is dependent on further assessment by an individual or team specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders. There is no single test that is diagnostic of autism. In order to have a diagnosis of Autism or one of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, an individual must satisfy the diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-IV. Click here for complete diagn
A comprehensive evaluation is required to diagnoses autism spectrum disorders, including in-depth measures of cognitive functioning, adaptive behavior, autism diagnostic tools (i.e., ADI-R and ADOS), behavioral observations, and sometimes neuropsychological and speech and language evaluations. Diagnosis is based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria and deficits in the areas of communication, social interaction, and stereotypical, repetitive/restricted repertoire of behaviors and interests. What causes autism? Scientists are not certain what causes autism, but it is likely that both genetics and environment play a role. Researchers have identified a number of genes associated with the disorder. Studies of people with autism have found irregularities in several regions of the brain. Other studies suggest that people with autism have abnormal levels of serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. These abnormalities suggest that
