Abstract
Background: Since the prevalence and awareness AutismSpectrum Disorders (ASD) is growing day by day, it is crucial to correctly allocate diagnosis of ASD. According to the guidelines, there should be a multi-agency strategy group for diagnosis of ASD.
 Aim: To find out the diagnostic practices of ASD among different Health Professionals.
 Place and Duration of Study: Riphah International University, Lahore campus. The study was conducted from October 2017 till March 2018.
 Methodology: Data was collected from 116 professionals which included Speech-Language Pathologists, Pediatricians, Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Occupational Therapists by using questionnaire. A cross-sectional survey was carried out by using the technique of convenient sampling. Researcher collected the data from Riphah International University in person and some professionals were sent questionnaires online.
 Results: Majority of professionals provide diagnostic service i.e. 84.4% as a part of multidisciplinary team whereas 15.6% are sole practitioners for giving diagnosis; 51.1% collaborate with other professionals to make a consensus diagnosis and the most frequently used tool by professionals for diagnosing ASD is Childhood Autism Rating Scale CARS (76.7%) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V/IV (DSM V OR IV) criteria (67.8%).
 Conclusion: The professionals in the current study are using multidisciplinary approach for diagnosing ASD and a small number are sole practitioners. The most frequently used tool for diagnosing ASD are CARS and DSM V OR IV criteria. However, very few practitioners use the diagnostic tool Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule ADOS and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised ADI-R. The professionals who provide diagnosis of ASD are Speech and language Pathologists, Psychologists, pediatricians, psychiatrists and Occupational therapists.
Highlights
The term Autism is procured from a Greek term “auto” which means “self” [1]
Majority of professionals provide diagnostic service i.e. 84.4% as a part of multidisciplinary team whereas 15.6% are sole practitioners for giving diagnosis; 51.1% collaborate with other professionals to make a consensus diagnosis and the most frequently used tool by professionals for diagnosing AutismSpectrum Disorders (ASD) is Childhood Autism Rating Scale CARS (76.7%) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V/IV (DSM V OR IV) criteria (67.8%)
Descriptive cross- sectional survey design was conducted from October 2017 till March 2018 to find out the diagnostic practices of ASD among different health Professionals
Summary
The term Autism is procured from a Greek term “auto” which means “self” [1] It is indicated by difficulties in areas of communication and social reciprocity or interaction and stereotypic repetitive sequences and patterns of behaviors interests and restricted routines [2]. Autism is more common than disorders like Downs Syndrome, Mental Retardation and Diabetes around the world. It has become a worldwide health crisis but no recognition and knowledge about autism is still trivial in comparison with other disorders [1]. The current studies advocate that children can be reliably given the diagnosis of “ASD”, in the age of second year in their life, with a trained and experienced professional team [3]. Methodology: Data was collected from 116 professionals which included Speech-Language Pathologists, Pediatricians, Psychiatrists, Psychologists and Occupational Therapists by using
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