What is an ASD diagnostic assessment?
An ASD diagnostic assessment is a psychological assessment that assesses your child’s social communication skills to determine if they meet criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder.
It is comprised of an in depth developmental history interview, in addition to direct testing with your child using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), which is considered one of the most reliable tests for diagnosing ASD. The assessment will be conducted by a multidisciplinary team, including a Speech and Language Pathologist and Clinical Psychologist/Board Certified Behaviour Analyst.
At the end of the assessment process, you will receive a written report summarizing the results, diagnostic considerations, and recommendations for treatment and resources. You will also meet with the team to review the report in detail.
How can an ASD diagnostic assessment help?
A comprehensive psychological assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders can be used to:
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Provide suggestions on the type of treatments your child may benefit from;
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Provide information on areas of strength and need related to your child’s social communication skills;
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Provide information on specific goals to target in treatment;
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Provide documentation of a diagnosis for access to support services or benefits, as appropriate (e.g., Ontario Autism Program, Special Services at Home, Disability Tax Credit).
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Assist in identification of your child as an Exceptional Pupil in the IPRC process;
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Assist in development of your child’s Individualized Education Plan.
How are ASD diagnostic assessments paid for?
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Extended health care benefits may cover some or all of the assessment cost (please check with your benefits provider - estimates are available upon request)
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Can be tax deductible
Why Bright Spot?
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We believe in the importance of a TEAM-BASED approach. We have created a team that includes a Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Psychologist who both have autism assessment experience and training.
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We also believe that early intervention is important and early diagnosis facilitates appropriate intervention.
Who does the assessment?
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Parts of the assessment will be completed by a speech-language pathologist with advanced training in autism assessments, under the supervision of a clinical psychologist. The speech-language pathologist will provide services in-person.
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The clinical psychologist will also complete parts of the assessment, will interview the family and teacher, will analyze the results of the assessment, and will provide the diagnosis and recommendations. The clinical psychologist may meet with the child/family in-person or through tele-practice (computer), whichever allows for families to have the shortest wait time.
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Learn more about our clinicians here
