Assessment Process

The assessment process for autism will be completed over several appointments. Your child will go through a structured interview as well as formal assessments.

Behavioral Assessments

Doctors use a variety of guidelines and questionnaires to diagnose developmental delays in children. These behavioral assessments include:

• Medical history. A nurse or doctor will go over general questions about your child’s development. You will discuss milestones that your child met and the age that they were reached.
• Diagnostic guidelines. The American Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACP) has established guidelines that are used as assessment criteria for autism. These guidelines focus on children ages 3 and up.
• Behavioral questionnaires. Checklists are often used to rate how much a child’s behavior varies from others of the same age range. This method is used for those older than two. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is used for children at least 2 years of age.
• Observations. A specialized physician may ask to observe your child’s behaviors in various situations. Parents will then be asked to interpret the observations and share whether the behaviors witnessed are normally present.
• Intelligence and developmental tests: Tests will also be used to determine if developmental delays are affecting the child’s ability to think and make decisions.

Physical Assessments and Lab Tests

Other tests that may be used in an autistic assessment include:

• Physical exam: This may include weight, height, head circumference, and checking to see that the child has followed a normal growth pattern.
• Hearing test: This will be used to determine if loss of hearing is a cause of developmental delays, especially those related to speech.
• Test for lead poisoning: If a child shows signs of a condition called pica then this test will be especially important. (Pica is a condition where a person craves things that are not food like chipped paint) A child with a developmental delay will continue to put things in the mouth at an older age than a normally developed child. These two actions can lead to a higher chance of contracting lead poisoning.

Depending on your child’s condition and the severity of the symptoms, your doctor will decide which assessments are necessary to achieve an accurate diagnosis.

Tagged as: Assessment