Spectrum: Autism Research News
Autism diagnosis: A moving target
In February of this year, a Spectrum feature dove deep at a clinic in Pennsylvania offering telehealth autism assessments for families with limited access to in-person services, a practice that was virtually nonexistent before the COVID-19 pandemic. Remote assessments mark just one of the latest developments in autism diagnosis, which has evolved almost continuously since Leo Kanner diagnosed Donald Triplett — who died this past June — as autism’s “case 1” in 1943. Here, we present some of our past coverage of the debates and challenges in identifying the condition.
Cite this article: https://doi.org/10.53053/WCWT6934
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The promise of telehealth in autism diagnoses
The COVID-19 pandemic forced a reckoning, in which autism clinicians had to redefine best practices and expand how children are evaluated. The remote assessments they developed may help solve a persistent problem: the long wait families endure to get a diagnosis in the United States.
Debate remains over changes in DSM-5 a decade on
Changes to the DSM-5’s diagnostic criteria for autism were meant to add clarity, but they also generated new questions.
Diagnosing autism with Catherine Lord
In this inaugural episode, Lord discusses her entry into autism research, what the future of the field might look like, and how drama club saved her in high school.
Should motor impairment be added to the diagnostic criteria for autism?
In light of growing evidence that motor challenges are common among people with autism, we asked five researchers how these problems fit into the definition of the condition.
Donald Triplett, autism’s ‘Case 1,’ dies at 89
Triplett gained media attention for his autism later in life, and he became the face of the effort to research the lives of older adults with autism.
Average autism diagnosis delayed by more than two years
The findings may explain why the average age at diagnosis has plateaued at 4 years old.
Clinicians lack confidence in diagnostic interviews with Black mothers
Implicit biases might be to blame, and the discrepancy persists across clinics, regardless of maternal education, family income and a child’s IQ score.
Earlier autism diagnosis associated with greater trait improvement
Children who are diagnosed with autism before age 2 and a half years show more gains in their social skills than children who are diagnosed later.
Diagnosis timeline drags for Black autistic children
High rates of intellectual disability among Black autistic children may reflect diagnostic delays.