Most PCPs do not feel comfortable giving an ASD diagnosis in their general practice. This is why most refer to places like the Dennis Developmental Center for this comprehensive evaluation. CoBALT clinics allow for a Tier II screening closer to home to see if a child has other developmental issues or if the suspicion of ASD is high. A CoBALT evaluation is not a comprehensive team assessment but can help you and the family with decision making about the need for a more comprehensive evaluation.
What comprises a comprehensive autism evaluation?
The best practice at this time is a team evaluation by a group of professionals who have experience in working and evaluating children with autism. This usually includes:
- A medical professional who gets detailed information about the child’s medical, development and family history
- A psychologist who measures the child’s developmental/cognitive level and their adaptive skills
- A speech therapist who is able to measure the child’s speech and language skills
- A measure of the child’s social interactions either by direct observation, engaging in structured assessment of play skills (by a test called the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule 2nd ED) or by rating scales.
- This assessment can also include occupational therapists who assess fine motor and sensory processing issues
- Physical therapists who can assess for gross motor issues
This Autism Speaks link provide excellent information about ASD comprehensive evaluations. If you continue to look at this site, it also provides links to the Autism Speaks video glossary. These short videos compare typically developmental children to children with ASD. They can be information and helpful.
The Autism Speaks website also provides information about sites around the country who are affiliated with Autism Speaks as Autism Treatment Network sites. Here in Arkansas (UAMS/ACHRI), we are privileged to be one of these 14 sites.