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Commentary: Challenges and opportunities in autism assessment - a commentary on Kanne and Bishop (2020).

Malcolm Maclachlan
Published in: Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines (2020)
Kanne and Bishop's (2020) Editorial Perspective 'The Autism waitlist crisis and remembering what families need' offers a strong argument to provide greater access to high-quality assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). They note, correctly, that due to increasing numbers of referrals practitioners are under increasing pressure to provide quicker or abbreviated evaluations, that some cases are extremely complex and require considerable expertise to assess, and that a good assessment is a good investment in effective intervention. I agree with these points but also want to highlight some difficulties and dilemmas associated with the assessment of ASD; and to argue that improving access to assessments and interventions through the use of nonspecialists and new technologies may be a promising direction.
Keyphrases
  • autism spectrum disorder
  • intellectual disability
  • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • randomized controlled trial
  • public health