Developing an adult autism diagnosis tool incorporating autistic adults’ experiences of diagnosis Research and Development Conference Barry Ingham (Consultant Clinical Psychologist/Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer) & Stephen Patterson (Autistic Self-advocate)
Acknowledgements Sarah Wigham Joan Macintosh Tracy Finch Alex Petrou Tom Berney Ann LeCouteur Marc Woodbury-Smith Jeremy Parr Autistica
Overview Review of tools and screeners Experiences of diagnosis in adulthood Clinician views Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA)
Review of diagnostic tools and screeners NICE recommendations Updated review What did it say about diagnostic measures? What did it say about structured questionnaires? Clinical implications? Published in Autism
Review of diagnostic tools and screeners Findings Sensitivity and specificity of structured questionnaires limited. For adults with intellectual disability, diagnostic accuracy increased with a combination of questionnaires. In mental health settings, single structured questionnaire unlikely to accurately identify adults without autism or from mental health conditions. Some utility of diagnostic measures in identifying autism but specificity for diagnosis was relatively low. Need robust adult autism assessment tools (particularly in the presence of co-occurring mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders).
Receiving an autism spectrum diagnosis in adulthood Survey of people who had received a diagnosis during adulthood Interviewing some of these Characteristics of a cohort of individuals diagnosed during adulthood Experience of the diagnostic process and the impact of diagnosis Post-diagnosis support received What are the implications?
Clinician views on diagnosis in adulthood Interviews Survey of teams Measures used Approaches taken Post diagnostic support Can we develop a consistent pathway for assessment methods and measures?
New study starting March 2018 Methods of Diagnosing ASD in adults We are particularly interested in the views of clinicians on the best combinations of ASD screening and diagnostic measures for clinical settings If you would like to give your view on this please use this link to access the survey: tinyurl.com/ASDadultdiagnosis For further details contact: Dr Sarah Wigham Newcastle University Tel: 0191 208 3274 Email: sarah.wigham@ncl.ac.uk
Autism Clinical Interview for Adults (ACIA) Semi-structured interview to inform diagnosis Developmental & current Pre-interview questionnaire With the person With a relative/supporter Begun pilot within local autism diagnosis service (approx. 20) Reliability and validity Attendees & clinician experience How will it inform next steps clinically? E.g. formulation, treatment planning, signposting
Contact Barry.ingham@ntw.nhs.uk Psychological Services, Northgate Hospital, Morpeth, Northumberland Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust Institute of Neuroscience, Sir James Spence Institute, Newcastle University