Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders (eBook)

Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Lifespan Perspective is the first book of its kind to provide authoritative information for medical and mental health professionals on how to properly evaluate and diagnose autism spectrum disorders in individuals of all ages.

• The first book of its kind which demonstrates how to conduct an appropriate diagnostic interview to assess a child for an Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Considers the issues of Autism Spectrum Disorders in children, teenagers, and adults
• Aimed at both medical and mental health professionals
• Includes an in-depth treatment of the entire diagnostic process

Donald P.Gallo is a psychologist for Kaiser-Permanente's Autism Spectrum Disorders Diagnostic Service in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Dr Gallo is board certified in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and maintains a private practice in Woodland Hills, California.

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Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders The past decade has seen a tremendous increase in the number of people being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders and not just young children. Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Lifespan Perspective is the first volume of its kind to provide authoritative information for professionals on how to appropriately evaluate and diagnose these disorders in individuals of all ages. Donald P. Gallo, a board-certified clinical psychologist, shares his professional insights and expertise garnered from more than 1,500 autism evaluations over the past ten years. The book includes in-depth interviewing strategies that focus on the three primary areas of impairment socialization, communication, and behavior to determine if an individual has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Differential diagnostic considerations are also addressed, and numerous case examples provide further clarity. Ways to present the assessment findings to parents and patients that will help them accept the diagnosis are also included. The information is targeted specifically for a wide range of practitioners, including child psychologists, child psychiatrists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, paediatricians, paediatric neurologists, and students in those disciplines. Authoritative and timely, Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Lifespan Perspective provides medical and mental health professionals everywhere with an invaluable resource for the proper diagnoses and assessment of an exceedingly complex disorder which affects people of all ages.