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Principal Investigator: Natacha
Akshoomoff
Funding: NIMH 1K23MH071796-1 (7/1/04-6/30/09)
The clinical complexities of proper diagnosis and assessment
of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), together
with federal and state mandates to provide services, present
significant challenges to local schools and public service
providers. Autism is increasingly conceptualized to encompass
a spectrum of disorders rather than a unitary, classically
defined developmental disorder. Given the large number of
behaviors that define ASD and the variability seen across
individual children even within the same diagnostic category,
proper identification and assessment requires experienced
clinicians and educators. It appears that better identification
and broader categorization have contributed to the increasing
numbers of children who are being identified with ASD. Standardized
diagnostic instruments that have been demonstrated to be reliable
and valid are now widely used in ASD research. While comprehensive,
valid assessments are essential for educational planning,
the direct clinical or educational benefits of diagnostic
distinctions within the autism spectrum are a matter of debate.
In this project, we will evaluate the range of diagnostic
distinctions that are present in children who are receiving
educational interventions under the autism category. The nature
of diagnostic and educational assessments used by service
delivery systems for children with autism will be investigated.
These data will be used to determine how the broader definition
of autism used by schools compares with a diagnosis based
on the use of research-based standardized test instruments
by experienced professionals. The results of this study will
lead to innovative approaches to implementing research-based
diagnostic and assessment methods for children with autism
in community settings.
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2007
CASRC