Australia's first National Guideline for the Assessment and
Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders was launched in 2018.
The Guideline is the first unified approach to the
assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia.
It aims to remove confusion and give clarity regarding the
process of diagnosing autism, providing greater equity in
access to assessment, transparency and confidence in
the decision making process and a clearly defined pathway to
meet support needs.
The Guideline was developed in close consultation with expert
health professionals and the autism community. The
recommendations have been approved as best practice
healthcare, reflecting global expertise and the best
available scientific evidence.
The Guideline does not redefine or change the specific criteria
for a diagnosis of autism, but outlines a clear step-by-step
process for assessment.
The process will help health professionals to determine
your support needs and whether you meet the
criteria for a diagnosis.
The Guideline emphasises the importance of listening to
individuals and their families, caregivers, and
support people about the impact of characteristics on
daily life. Your needs and priorities are critical
considerations at each step.
The Guideline also recommends a strengths focused approach.
This approach means that identifying your strengths,
skills, interests, resources and support systems is as
important as identifying any challenges.
There is no biological test such as a blood test or scan for
autism. It's usually diagnosed by trained health professionals
who observe certain characteristics such as social
communication, behaviours and intense or focused interests.
In Australia, primary healthcare providers such as GPs,
nurses, allied health professionals or Aboriginal
health workers are usually the first point of contact if you
have a concern.
They will begin the process by referring you to a health
professional who is experienced in assessing
neurodevelopmental conditions.
If you've been referred to an expert health professional, the
Guideline then recommends a Comprehensive Needs Assessment.
This assessment has two parts.
Firstly, an Assessment of Functioning.
This involves obtaining a detailed understanding of your
abilities and any support needs you might have across a broad
range of areas. These areas include cognitive abilities,
speech and language function, daily living skills,
relationships, study, and work.
And secondly, a Medical
Evaluation. This involves a physical examination and
other medical tests to understand if there could
be medical causes for the behaviours or
characteristics that prompted the referral.
Depending on your needs, you may then be immediately referred to
various support services.
If there is still uncertainty about an autism diagnosis, the
Guideline then recommends a Diagnostic Evaluation to
establish whether behaviours are consistent with autism or
another condition.
This may involve a review of your information, interviews with
you and other key people in your life and professional
observation and assessment of the signs and characteristics
you may display.
One health professional with specific expertise may conduct
the diagnostic evaluation, or they may invite a team of health
professionals to make a consensus diagnostic decision
together. The professionals who are involved will depend on a
range of factors such as the type or complexity of your
characteristics and any other conditions you may have.
After the assessment, the Guideline recommends that the
health professionals involved provide you with a written
report. If you choose, your caregivers or support people
could also receive this report.
The Guideline also recommends that a health professional
involved in the assessment has a meeting with you to explain the
content of the report.
The report will summarise the information collected during
the assessment and what this information means. It will also
explain any decisions that have been made about a diagnosis and
suggest next steps for accessing support services.
In summary, if you've been referred for an assessment, you
should expect a timely and thorough
assessment, consideration of your unique needs, strengths and
resources, prompt referral to support services based on your
functioning and needs, not a clinical diagnosis and a
detailed final report summarising the assessment
findings and diagnostic decision explained in person by an expert
health professional. For further information on the Guideline or
to download the Guideline recommendations, please visit
the Autism CRC website.