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Autism, or more formally known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by social, language, and sensory differences, in addition to repetitive actions.
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Common features include:
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Language differences
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May have had delayed language
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May engage in echolalia (repeating others)
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May use words and phrases repetitively
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May take things literally
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May have difficulty with jokes and abstract language
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May have advanced language and literacy skills
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May use formal speech
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May provide many facts but stories can be difficult to follow
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May use less or unusual eye contact and gestures
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Social differences
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May find it hard to interact with peers and easier to interact with familiar people/adults
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May want friends but struggle to navigate social situations/not knowing what to do
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May be less interested in peers and prefer to play alone
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May struggle to describe emotions and social relationships
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May show differences in conversation e.g. unexpected topic changes, interrupting, talking excessively
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May have trouble interpreting others' facial expressions and tone of voice
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Sensory differences
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May be sensitive to loud noise, bright lights, clothing textures, crowded places etc
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May engage in sensory-seeking behaviour e.g. crashing into things/squeezing
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May seem over or undersensitive to pain, heat and other stimuli
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May be a picky eater with a narrow diet
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Repetitive actions
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May have intense interests in specific topics
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May prefer routines or things to be the same
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May struggle with change including what might appear to be trivial change
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May focus on details or want things to be 'just right'
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May engage in pretend/imaginative play
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May engage in repetitive behaviours e.g. hand flapping and jumping
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What is autism
What we offer
At our clinic, we offer comprehensive ASD assessments for children aged 3-12. The main assessment instruments used are the ADOS-2, ADI-R, and SRS-2. Use of the ADOS-2 and ADI-R in combination are considered the gold standard approach for ASD testing.
How autism testing can help
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Determining whether a child meets criteria for ASD
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Gaining greater insight into a child's strengths and challenges and therefore how to best support them
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Determining appropriate interventions/supports to strengthen/address issues identified in the assessment
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Accessing extra supports at school e.g. classroom adjustments/accomodations and special exam provisions
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Accessing government funding e.g. NDIS funding, Centrelink Carer’s Allowance
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Evaluating intervention progress or re-evaluating strengths and weaknesses
Autism testing typically involves four stages:
The process
Autism Testing
1
Child Assessment
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The first step is for your child to be assessed on the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2), which is an observational assessment designed to assess social-communication and interaction, and restricted/repetitive interests and behaviours.
Duration: 1.5 hours
2
Parent Interview
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Your clinician will then meet with you to gather a comprehensive history about your child's social-communication and interaction, and behaviour. We generally use the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised Edition (ADI-R) to achieve this.
Duration: 3 hours
3
Online Questionnaires
You and your child's teacher(s) are then required to complete an online assessment (Social Responsiveness Scale, 2nd Edition) which looks at social communication/interaction and restricted/repetitive behaviours.
Duration: 15 - 20 minutes (per questionnaire)
4
Feedback Session
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Once testing is complete, it typically takes 2-3 weeks for your clinician to score and prepare your report. Your clinician will then meet with you to discuss the results and recommendations. Your report will contain a detailed overview of the results and individually-tailored recommendations.
Duration: 1-1.5 hours