ABSTRACT
Autism spectrum disorders affect over 1 per cent of children (Baird et al. 2006) and potentially represent a significant part of the paediatric speech and language therapist’s caseload. Whether the child with ASD becomes a part of that caseload depends on identification and diagnosis. However, many children who meet diagnostic criteria for ASD remain undiagnosed. The Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP) (Baird et al. 2006) reported that only 58 per cent of children with autism and 23 per cent of those with milder forms of ASD had an ASD diagnosis recorded by local services. Identification was more likely if a parent had completed secondary education and less likely in children with an IQ less than 70. In order to ensure consistency in services for children with ASD, the National Autism Plan for Children (NAPC) (NIASA 2003) was produced to identify and disseminate best practice. What follows will draw on these guidelines and more recent evidence to address issues of identification, diagnosis and management of children with autism spectrum disorders, situating the role of the speech and language therapist within a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) approach.
