Who Should Diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorder?

Autism can be challenging to diagnose and often requires a multidisciplinary approach involving several qualified healthcare providers. This may include developmental pediatricians, child psychologists and even qualified therapists, such as speech therapists, social workers, and more.

Not everyone who prefers solitude and comic books is autistic, but stereotypes and misconceptions may keep some autistic people, particularly assigned females and those who are BIPOC, from receiving the support, understanding, and resources they need. There are autism community members who affirm the legitimacy of self-diagnosis, but a professional diagnosis can be useful for most autistic people.

This article will explain what types of qualified healthcare providers and therapists are often involved in the diagnosis of autism. It offers some tips about how to access care and resources.

Doctor with girl looking at a tablet
Andrew Brookes / Getty Images

Who Diagnoses Autism?

How autism is diagnosed has changed over time. The changes in diagnostic criteria (among other factors) have increased the awareness of the neurotype significantly. However, there are still relatively few medical professionals who are specifically trained to diagnose autism.

As a result, the people who are best qualified to professionally diagnose a person as autistic may have a wide range of titles. These may include:

  • Developmental pediatrician (specializes in autism and other developmental differences)
  • Psychologist (expert with doctoral training in psychotherapy, but not a medical doctor). Division 33 of the American Psychological Association is dedicated to member expertise with autism.
  • Psychiatrist (medical doctors who treat mental health and related conditions)

In addition to these medical professionals, many therapists can specifically take part in a multidisciplinary evaluation of a child. They include:

While these people are not medically trained, they may know as much or more about autism as a medical professional, simply because they spend so much time around autistic children.

Adults are best diagnosed by medical professionals experienced with autism, who are trained to read past masking (many autistic adults with low support needs can hide subtle autism traits). These experts can identify autism traits not diagnosed in childhood.

Routine Screenings for Autism

Healthcare providers, including your pediatrician and nursing practitioners, complete routine screenings for autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) calls for autism screenings at 18 months and 24 months, but kids also are observed for developmental changes during other well-care visits beginning at 9 months of age.

How Autism Is Diagnosed

There is no single medical test for autism, and there are many conditions that appear similar to autism; apraxia of speech and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are just a couple of examples.

Because of this, professional diagnosis is based on a combination of interviews, non-medical tests, observation, and specialist judgment. Some of the tests used in children include:

  • Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers & Young Children (STAT)
  • Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R)
  • Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ)
  • Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (M-CHAT-R)

With adult testing and diagnosis, a provider's experience, in addition to training, can be critical in providing a meaningful diagnosis.

Online Tests and Diagnosing Autism

Certain online tests (the M-CHAT-R among them) are made available by the AAP. Results can help to begin a conversation with a child's pediatrician or other provider, but they're not a diagnosis. Online tests for adults include the Adult Repetitive Behavior Questionnaire (RBQ-2A) and the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10) test.

Considerations for Getting a Diagnosis

Several variables are at play when seeking out an autism diagnosis. For example, you may find that there is a long wait to see one highly qualified professional, while you can get in almost right away to see another who's been recommended.

Another consideration is cost. You may discover that, while a psychiatrist is covered by insurance, a psychologist is not. In some states, early intervention programs that provide free multidisciplinary evaluations for children are readily available; in other states, such evaluations may be hard to access.

A formal diagnosis from a medical doctor can help you get the appropriate services needed for your child from your local school district. Autistic children often qualify for an individualized education plan (IEP) or 504 plan that allows for classroom accommodations. The criteria include a medical diagnosis.

Autistic adults may need to choose from among various providers, therapies and treatments when receiving a diagnosis, as well as services to support housing, transportation, and other needs for which they may be eligible.

Finding the Right Person to Diagnose Autism

The right person to provide a diagnosis will be trained, experienced, affordable, and available in your area. To find that person (or group):

  • Start with your medical provider, and watch their language and tone to see if they're autism-accepting. If they are, they may have a useful list of referrals, and may even be able to help you get an appointment quickly.
  • Connect with autistic-led community and support groups. Local support groups and listserves are wonderful resources for information about professionals who are both competent and supportive.
  • Check with your school district and/or regional agencies. You may find there are low-cost or free options available to you.
  • Do your homework. Check on the recommended specialists to be sure that they have credentials, experience, and in-depth knowledge of autistic people. Diagnostic professionals who are autistic themselves are often excellent resources.

Summary

It's important to get a timely and accurate diagnosis for an autistic person, especially for children who may benefit from early intervention. But it's also important to receive that diagnosis from a qualified professional, typically a pediatric development specialist or psychiatrist. Your healthcare provider can help you with a referral.

An autism diagnosis will depend on test results, interviews, and observations taken together. There is no single test for diagnosing the disorder; it also will depend on whether the autism traits are assessed in adults or children, with different specialists trained for these populations.

7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading

By Lisa Jo Rudy
Lisa Jo Rudy, MDiv, is a writer, advocate, author, and consultant specializing in the field of autism.