Trenna Sutcliffe, M.D.

So you were asking, how do you do an assessment? So when it is a more significant case with significant impairments, we frequently can make the diagnosis. I'll just be honest, you can make it pretty quickly. You should take a good history. You should definitely meet with the child, work with the child in the clinic.

So you were asking, how do you do an assessment? So when it is a more significant case with significant impairments, we frequently can make the diagnosis. I'll just be honest, you can make it pretty quickly. You should take a good history. You should definitely meet with the child, work with the child in the clinic.

But there are many children where a trained clinician can do that diagnosis pretty quickly in a child with very significant autism. It'd be obvious to you if you were in a restaurant, you saw someone with autism. It's obvious to many people. But for children who have

But there are many children where a trained clinician can do that diagnosis pretty quickly in a child with very significant autism. It'd be obvious to you if you were in a restaurant, you saw someone with autism. It's obvious to many people. But for children who have

milder symptoms it is really important that there probably is multiple visits to see the child on multiple days that different types of assessments are done directly with the child in addition to taking history with the parents and in addition to collecting information from other people involved in that child's life such as teachers or therapists it's important to get different perspectives

milder symptoms it is really important that there probably is multiple visits to see the child on multiple days that different types of assessments are done directly with the child in addition to taking history with the parents and in addition to collecting information from other people involved in that child's life such as teachers or therapists it's important to get different perspectives

Yes.

Yes.

It's complicated. I'll say it has a lot to do with the new diagnostic criteria. So before 2013, we had Asperger's syndrome. We don't use that diagnostic label anymore. And we also had something called PDD-NOS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, a mouthful.

It's complicated. I'll say it has a lot to do with the new diagnostic criteria. So before 2013, we had Asperger's syndrome. We don't use that diagnostic label anymore. And we also had something called PDD-NOS, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, a mouthful.

And PDD-NOS was a term we used when it had similarities to autistic disorder because all three of those names were under the umbrella of autism. And so there were a lot of kids who received this PDD-NOS because they were like,

And PDD-NOS was a term we used when it had similarities to autistic disorder because all three of those names were under the umbrella of autism. And so there were a lot of kids who received this PDD-NOS because they were like,

Something's different. They're sprinkled with bits of autism, but they didn't quite meet all the criteria. When you didn't meet all the criteria, you got PDD-NOS and then there was Asperger's syndrome, which generally described an individual who had good cognitive skills. average or high cognitive skills, intellectual skills. They had a lot of speech and language skills.

Something's different. They're sprinkled with bits of autism, but they didn't quite meet all the criteria. When you didn't meet all the criteria, you got PDD-NOS and then there was Asperger's syndrome, which generally described an individual who had good cognitive skills. average or high cognitive skills, intellectual skills. They had a lot of speech and language skills.

They actually have huge vocabulary, but again, their social reciprocity, back and forth conversation, picking up on social cues, that was atypical. And they also had a lot of restricted interests. They would have things they were really interested in, but then they would dive deep into those things. So in 2013 with the DSM-5, we put all of that together under autism spectrum disorder.

They actually have huge vocabulary, but again, their social reciprocity, back and forth conversation, picking up on social cues, that was atypical. And they also had a lot of restricted interests. They would have things they were really interested in, but then they would dive deep into those things. So in 2013 with the DSM-5, we put all of that together under autism spectrum disorder.

And so now the kids who have the more clear cut, very traditional autistic disorder, they're picked up at two years of age or two and a half, three years of age. And it's the kids who have the stronger cognitive skills. They have speech and language present. They're picked up later. By the way, nowadays with the new diagnostic criteria, language impairment,

And so now the kids who have the more clear cut, very traditional autistic disorder, they're picked up at two years of age or two and a half, three years of age. And it's the kids who have the stronger cognitive skills. They have speech and language present. They're picked up later. By the way, nowadays with the new diagnostic criteria, language impairment,

may or may not be present in the diagnosis. When you give the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, you also have to clarify whether there is intellectual disability, so with or without intellectual disability, and then we say with or without language impairment. With all of these changes, the spectrum, it's very broad.

may or may not be present in the diagnosis. When you give the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, you also have to clarify whether there is intellectual disability, so with or without intellectual disability, and then we say with or without language impairment. With all of these changes, the spectrum, it's very broad.