Clinical Diagnosis of Autism: An Evaluation of the Developmental Protocol

Abstract

There is an established literature in psychology outlining the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnostic assessments that has also explored the psychometric properties of the various instruments used in these assessments; however, there are few if any evaluations of a particular ASD diagnostic protocol other than the gold standard protocol employing the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – 2 nd Edition, the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised, and the Social Responsiveness Scale – 2 nd Edition. As such, there is little information as to what methodological approach or selection of assessment measures is best for diagnosing ASD and providing differential diagnosis. This dissertation provides a pilot evaluation of the Developmental Protocol, which follows comprehensive evaluation and developmental models for diagnosing ASD and identifying comorbidities. I selected the Developmental Protocol for a pilot evaluation for three reasons: accessibility to the author, its focus on a holistic developmental understanding of the child and diagnosis, and its clinical approach which sets it apart from current gold standard models. The Developmental Protocol is evaluated using a theoretical approach with the goal of determining if the Developmental Protocol adequately identifies symptoms of ASD in children aged 18 months to 3-1/2 years in such a way that provides an accurate developmental and diagnostic profile of the child for informing treatment. The method uses a critical comparison to compare the Developmental Protocol, its process, and the assessments it employs to gold standard diagnostic methods, best practices in ASD diagnosis, ASD diagnostic criteria, and ASD symptomatology. Evaluation results indicate that the Developmental Protocol theoretically provides an accurate diagnosis of ASD within the targeted age range, as well as additional usefulness in providing differential diagnosis and identifying comorbidities due to its holistic approach. In addition, the protocol meets a gap in care by shortening the length of assessment, flexibly meeting the specific needs of examinees and their caretakers.