ASD Screening & Diagnosis | Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders | SIU

ASD Screenings

The process of diagnosis at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) includes two steps. The first step is the screening appointment. The screening appointment is currently conducted through telehealth via a HIPAA-compliant, videoconference software called Teams. The appointment lasts about one hour and includes two parts within the same scheduled appointment, an interview with the parent/caregiver and a direct observation of the client. For younger children, direct observation includes a 10- to 15-minute observation of the child playing with toys. For older children, adolescents, or young adults, direct observation typically entails an interview with the clinician directly. These appointments are conducted by graduate student clinicians under the supervision of a licensed professional. These screenings are intended to provide recommendations for seeking an ASD diagnostic evaluation if indicated and for potential treatment options. These appointments do not provide an ASD diagnosis.

ASD Diagnostics:

The second step of the process is the diagnostic evaluation, which is an in-person appointment. The evaluation is a one-day process and is overseen by a combination of the director of the CASD (licensed speech-language pathologist), school-psychologists, and a pediatrician. Graduate students who are working toward their PhD in Clinical Psychology are also trained to administer diagnostic testing, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale-2nd Edition (ADOS-2). As the diagnostic evaluations are administered, our pediatrician/physician is observing through the observation room. Once testing is completed, the team (consisting of either licensed speech-language pathologist and clinical psychology PhD student or licensed school psychologists) score the assessments and discuss with the pediatrician. The pediatrician reviews and can confirm the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder if indicated. It is only when this final step with our diagnostic team, including the medical provider, is completed, can the medical diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder be diagnosed. Diagnostic evaluation appointments are limited and are selected based upon specific criteria assessed through the ASD Screening (step 1).