Where and With Whom Are Autism Evaluations Conducted?
Many different types of professionals may provide autism assessment. These include licensed psychologists, pediatric neurologists, developmental-behavioral pediatricians, and psychiatrists.
Because autism impacts a person in so many areas, autism evaluations are often conducted by a team of people. The process of recognizing autism in the school setting is called “educational identification.“ In the private setting the process is called “diagnosis.“ Below is a list of professionals who may be part of the evaluation team.
- behavior specialist
- developmental-behavioral pediatrician
- nurse practitioner
- occupational therapist
- pediatric neurologist
- physical therapists
- psychiatrist
- psychologist
- speech-language pathologist
To learn more about each of these professionals, visit: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute: Who is Able to Diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder?
You may have noticed that many of the professionals listed as potentially involved in an autism evaluation are not in the medical field. That is because autism is NOT a medical diagnosis. It is a behavioral and developmental diagnosis based on observation and history, not on medical tests. In fact, although many people use the term, there is no such thing as a “medical diagnosis” of autism. Autism evaluations are conducted in a range of places including, pediatrician’s offices, school buildings, psychologist’s offices, and children’s clinics at hospitals.