Diagnostic evaluation for autism spectrum disorder: a survey of health professionals in Australia.
There is currently no agreed Australian standard for the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) even though there are specific diagnostic services available. We suspected inconsistency in the diagnostic practices of health professionals in Australia and aimed to assess these practices across the nation by surveying all relevant professional groups.



In this study, we completed a survey of 173 health professionals whose clinical practice includes participating in the diagnostic process for ASD in Australia. Participants completed an online questionnaire which included questions about their diagnostic setting, diagnostic practice and diagnostic outcomes in 2014-2015.



Participants covered a range of disciplines including paediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, speech pathology and occupational therapy. All states and territories of Australia were represented.



Participants came from a range of service settings which included hospitals, non-governmental organisations, publicly funded diagnostic services and private practice.



There was variability in diagnostic practices for ASD in Australia. While some clinicians work within a multidisciplinary assessment team, others practice independently and rarely collaborate with other clinicians to make a diagnostic decision. Only half of the respondents reported that they include a standardised objective assessment tool such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in ASD assessments, and one-third indicated that they do not include measures of development, cognition and language in assessments where ASD is suspected.



Reported practice of some professionals in Australia may not be consistent with international best practice guidelines for ASD diagnosis. These findings highlight the need for a minimum national standard for ASD diagnosis throughout Australia that ensures best practice regardless of the type of setting in which the service is provided.
School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Lauren J
LJ
Taylor
Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia University of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia.
Valsamma
V
Eapen
School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Murray T
MT
Maybery
Western Australian Autism Diagnostician's Forum, Western Australia, Australia.
Sue
S
Midford
Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Research Department, AEIOU Foundation, Queensland, Australia School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Jessica
J
Paynter
Centre for Rural Health, University of Tasmania, Australia.
Lyndsay
L
Quarmby
Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Disability Services Commission, Western Australia, Australia.
Timothy
T
Smith
Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Developmental Medicine, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Katrina
K
Williams
Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Telethon Kids' Institute, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
Andrew J O
AJ
Whitehouse
D001315:Australia; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002983:Clinical Competence; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006779:Hospitals, Public; D006801:Humans; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011365:Professional Practice Location / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
Autism Spectrum Disorder; Diagnosis