Assessments of autism spectrum disorders (ASD)

The autism assessment consists of various observations of the child, both in the practice and as reported by parents and/or educators and teachers. In my practice, I use internationally recognized tests such as the ADOS-2 and the ADI-R, complementary tests such as those taught at the University of Lausanne, as well as observation of the child in less structured sessions and interactions.

Tests allow for very detailed and complementary observations. Internationally recognized tests are based on the observation of the child's concrete behaviors, and those I was taught at the University of Lausanne focus less on behaviors than on the child's perception of the world in order to determine whether their internal functioning is autistic. Using both approaches is also very useful in situations where behavior-focused tests do not provide clear results, and more generally in certain complex cases, in relation to the question of differential diagnosis, in order to assess whether the observed autistic behaviors are true autism, or resemble autism in appearance but come from another difficulty, e.g., emotional.

The autism assessment includes not only observations and tests focused on autism, but also a comprehensive assessment of the child's development, e.g., cognitive resources, personality, and emotional profile.