Essentials of Autism Spectrum Disorders Evaluation and Assessment (eBook)

Celine A. Saulnier, Ph.D., is the Director of Clinical Research at the Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Assistant Professor (CT) in the Division of Autism and Related Disorders, Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine. Previously at Yale, Dr. Saulnier was both the Training Director and the Clinical Director for the Autism Program where she oversaw, conducted, and supervised multidisciplinary diagnostic evaluations on individuals with autism and related disorders from infancy through young adulthood. She has also conducted hundreds of nationwide workshops on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders resulting in her being awarded the Outstanding Educator Award for Mental Health Education by the New England Educational Institute. Pamela Ventola, Ph.D., is on the faculty at the Yale Child Study Center, Autism Program. Dr. Ventola has vast experience conducting psychological assessments on children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Her current research focuses on neuropsychological processes in children with autism. Dr. Ventola has written numerous scholarly journal articles and book chapters on developmental disabilities.

Series Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

One Overview 1

Diagnostic Criteria 2

Asperger Syndrome 3

Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified 5

Rett's Disorder and Childhood Disintegrative Disorder 8

DSM-5 9

Two Assessment of Level of Functioning 13

Selecting Instruments 14

Developmental and Early Cognitive Measures 16

Cognitive Assessments 19

Neuropsychological Assessments 28

Qualitative Observations 31

Summary 33

Test Yourself 36

Answers 37

Three Speech, Language, and Communication Assessment
39

Receptive Language 42

Expressive Language 44

Pragmatic Language/Social Communication 47

Stages of Language Development 48

Formulation of Findings 51

Summary 55

Test Yourself 57

Answers 58

Four Assessment of Behavioral Profiles 59

Standardized Assessments of Behavior 60

Functional Behavior Assessment 61

Assessment of Adaptive Behavior 64

Summary 70

Test Yourself 72

Answers 73

Five Clinical Interview and Record Review 75

Clinical Interview 76

Methods of Collecting Information on Current and Historical
Presentation 87

Summary 94

Test Yourself 97

Answers 98

Six Direct Diagnostic Assessment 99

Direct Observation 99

Diagnostic Assessment 100

Semistructured Measures for Diagnostic Assessment 116

Summary 119

Test Yourself 120

Answers 122

Seven Diagnostic Differentials and Comorbidity 123

Intellectual Disability 124

Learning Profiles 130

Specific Language Impairment 134

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 135

Anxiety and Tic Disorders 137

Mood Disorders 141

Psychiatric Conditions in Adulthood 143

Summary 146

Test Yourself 150

Answers 151

Eight Case Conceptualization and Integrated Report Writing
153

The Parent Conference 153

The Written Report 154

Case Samples 155

Case Sample: Initial Diagnosis--Toddler 156

Case Sample: School-Aged Child With ASD 171

Annotated Bibliography 197

About the Authors 201

Author Index 203

Subject Index 207