Best Practices in Autism Assessment

Wednesday, June 01, 2022

6 Assessment Tips: Autism Best Practices

6 Autism Assessment Best Practices

Excellence in assessment is the result of deliberate practice. These time-tested, evidence-based strategies can elevate your assessment expertise.

Build your competence and confidence with the tools

Assessments, diagnostic criteria, technologies, and evidence-based practices are all updated from time to time. Likewise, becoming skilled in autism assessment is an ongoing process. It’s important to take advantage of opportunities to learn more about selecting, administering, scoring, and interpreting different assessments, as well as how to communicate results effectively.

Collaborate with a multidisciplinary evaluation team

Research shows that autism evaluations carried out by transdisciplinary teams can decrease wait times, increase clinicians’ confidence in their diagnostic decision-making, and improve workload efficiency. Some researchers think a shared model of evaluation may also increase equity, especially when a coordinated-care approach allows a student or client to be seen by multiple providers in a single visit.

Include data from a variety of sources and methods

Federal law requires educators and clinicians to use data from a variety of sources and approaches when evaluating a student for a disability. It’s also important to compare results gathered in different settings. Using a combination of formal and informal observation strategies in varied settings allows you to gather authentic information about what people can do, what supports they might need, what barriers they face, and what strengths can be tapped to improve their outcomes.

Educate yourself in cultural competence

Cultural competence is a broad and dynamic set of capabilities. Culturally competent clinicians are aware of their own and their clients’ cultural identities. They understand how diversity factors can impact testing and results. They know the populations represented in norms for different assessments. They have developed skill in communicating with diverse groups. Cultural competence can be honed through study, interacting with diverse groups, and consulting with experts.

Screen for comorbidities and confounding factors

An accurate diagnosis is based on a complete picture of the client’s medical, developmental, and psychological histories. Autism can co-occur with other health conditions, many of which mirror autism characteristics or complicate diagnosis. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disabilities, developmental language disorders, behavior disorders, vision problems, and hearing problems can all make it harder to determine if a difference, deficit, or difficulty stems from ASD or from another condition. Identifying and treating any comorbidities can improve outcomes across the board.

Protect sensitive information and data

Protecting your client’s health information and testing data is a legal responsibility and is central to client-clinician trust. As telehealth and online assessments become more common, it’s increasingly important to partner with educational and psychological assessments publishers who have invested in security that meets or exceeds federal, state, and local data protection requirements.

WPS offers the best in autism assessments with a variety of functions and age levels. Shop our assessments today or contact us for more information.

Videos and Webinars on Autism

0 viewed