Acknowledgements

The Guideline Development Group warmly acknowledges the following people who have contributed to the development of the Guideline.

Autistic people, families, and community

We warmly acknowledge and thank all members of the autistic and autism communities who have so generously shared their experiences, insights, views, and expertise to inform the original Guideline and this update. This includes participation in the original studies included in the systematic reviews undertaken as part of the development and update, participating in the community consultation activities, and providing feedback on draft versions of the Guideline.

Original Guideline Development Group

We warmly acknowledge the efforts of the members of the Guideline Development Group that was responsible for developing the original Guideline in 2018, including the Research Executive Committee – Andrew Whitehouse, Kiah Evans, Valsamma Eapen, Margot Prior, and John Wray. We extend this acknowledgement to the many people who supported their work, and who are identified in the original Guideline document.

Research support

We warmly acknowledge and thank Veronica Frewer (Griffith University) who provided project coordination support and contributed to the research activities, along with Katie Brooker (University of Queensland), Briohny Dempsey (Telethon Kids Institute), Amy Giesberts (University of Queensland), and Libby Groves (Griffith University) who supported the research activities. We thank Dr Bahareh Afsharnejad (Curtin University) and Prof David Amor (University of Melbourne; Murdoch Children’s Research Institute; The Royal Children’s Hospital) who each completed Appraisal of Guidelines Research & Evaluation (AGREE-II) ratings for the draft updated Guideline.

Reference Group

We warmly acknowledge and thank the members of the Reference Group, each of whom represented an organisation that is relevant to assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia. The names of all members of the Reference Group and the organisations they represent are included in the Guideline.

Further assistance

We warmly acknowledge and thank the following people who provided additional assistance in updating the Guideline. Justina Sparks (Telethon Kids Institute) and Felicity Rose (Telethon Kids Institute) provided expert input regarding current and planned Guideline implementation activities. The following people at Autism CRC contributed to sharing information with the community about the Guideline development process and preparing the documents (graphic design, copyediting): Jason Kotzur, Darcy Maguire, Braeden Monnier, and Sally Vidler. Quinn Venz illustrated the artwork, designed by Will Foster (Guideline Development Group member), that features in the Guideline.

Artwork

We thank Dr Emma Goodall for providing the cover art for the National Guideline.

The artwork is titled The Disconnect in the Infinity of Neurodiversity. Artist Dr Emma Goodall describes the artwork below.

Hidden under the layers of the ¾ of an infinity symbol are a normal distribution curve, a brain and branches seeking connection from a brain/person to an anchor. The ¾ infinity symbol also more explicitly shows the variety within the spectrum but the gaps in knowledge and connections.

Guideline funding

The Guideline was developed (2018) by Autism CRC with support from the National Disability Insurance Agency, including funding to support the coordination of the project (by Dr Kiah Evans), for the public consultation activities and for an honorarium to the Steering Committee members. Andrew Whitehouse, Valsamma Eapen, Margot Prior and John Wray received no personal financial or other remuneration for their involvement in this project.

The Guideline was updated (2023) and will be disseminated and implemented with funding from Autism CRC. David Trembath (Griffith University; Telethon Kids Institute) and Emma Goodall (Griffith University) were appointed Co-chairs of the Guideline Development Group, and Griffith University and Telethon Kids Institute received funding from Autism CRC to support this work. David’s contributions were in-kind, with funding used to employ Emma Goodall and research fellows/assistants to support the work, to support community consultation activities, and to pay honoraria to the Guideline Development Group members.