As a part of the diagnosis of autism or one of the autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), you should get a neuropsychological evaluation which spells out in plain English the developmental deficiencies your child has. You have probably recognized many of these problems yourself and the evaluation should accurately reflect your observations since you know your child best. However, you might find yourself exaggerating your child’s capabilities and getting angry when the evaluation claims your child can’t do something you know they can. This is the natural parental defense mode kicking in, but you must try to avoid this tendency. It is VERY important to get a good and objective clinical appraisal. The neuropsychology evaluation should contain the results of a parent interview and the results of an inventory filled out about your child. The Conner’s Parent Rating Scale-revised(S), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale are common and important components to a complete neuropsychological evaluation.
A neuropsychologist with experience in autism and ASD will know which additional tests are most important for your child. One common and important test is the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI-III). It has both verbal and visual components. This is very important because one very common and telling aspect of autism is extreme unevenness between verbal and visual skill. Your child might be years ahead in performing some visual tasks and way behind in things like word reasoning or the ability to name words on cards. Some of the most frustrating aspects of these tests are that your child might be fully capable of doing the task if you ask them in just the right way or when you know they are receptive – and might be completely unwilling to pay attention when the clinician is administering the test. The social/emotional limitations of autistic children make it hard for them to understand the importance of doing what adults tell them to do. It is really not necessary to fully understand the nuances of the various tests – that is why you are paying a neuropsychologist. You just need to be convinced they are doing an adequate job assessing your child.
Last month I wrote an article entitled, “Beyond ABA Treatment.” It is the first of a series of articles I am writing designed for parents and professionals who want to educate themselves about the various treatment options for autism spectrum disorders.