ASD experts nationwide praise two free guides designed for parents & professionals
The Key to Improved Outcomes for Individuals with ASDS is early intervention. That’s why a team of parents, healthcare providers, educators, and service providers have collaborated on two publications designed to help identify and treat individuals with ASDs as quickly as possible.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment is based on the principles of family-centered care, early identification, informed clinical judgment, and community collaboration.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guide to Evidence-based Interventions or the Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guide to Evidence-based Intervention Summary focuses on the results of six nationally recognized reviews, providing data summaries as well as detailed processes for effective interventions.
Here is what the Experts are Saying:
“The Missouri Autism Guidelines is well-organized and accessible, with the terms and jargon that often make the process inaccessible explained in plain words.”
Susan Risi, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
University of Michigan Autism and Communication Disorders Center
Ann Arbor, Michigan
“Children with ASD and their families will benefit from the information and thoughtful collaboration that has occurred as result of compiling these Guidelines.”
Georgina Peacock, MD, MPH
Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician
Centers for Disease Control/National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities
Atlanta, Georgia
"This is an excellent resource. It condenses the findings and organizes them in a non-biased way."
Alycia Halladay, PhD
Director of Research for Environmental Science
Autism Speaks
New York, New York
- For Clinicians
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive behaviors. Symptoms of an ASD usually appear before the age of 3 years and can be accurately diagnosed by 2. Early, accurate diagnosis can lead to timely referral for effective intervention which is directly associated with gains in verbal and nonverbal communication, higher intelligence test scores, and improved social interaction.
The Initiative's first publication, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment encourages Missouri’s expanding networks of well-trained and experienced ASD clinicians to work collaboratively to identify individuals at risk for ASDs and to ensure accurate diagnostic evaluation and assessment for intervention services.
The intent of this collaborative approach is to promote the early identification of individuals with ASDs and their entry into a full range of appropriate community-based services. The Guidelines deal specifically with current practice and access to services in the state of Missouri and is not intended to be interpreted as policy or regulation, but rather as a guide for professional practice.
The Initiative's second publication now focuses on understanding evidenced-based interventions.
Clinicians' Overview and Summary of Best Practices
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment- For Families
The words “autism spectrum disorder” are frightening for a family to hear. But the fact is that early diagnosis and treatment of ASDs can often improve a child’s ability to learn, socialize, and build a productive life. That’s why a panel of parents and professionals teamed up to produce Missouri’s first guidelines for ASD screening, diagnosing, and assessment for intervention planning and now, a second publication, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guide to Evidence-based Interventions.
Through Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment, families can be assured that there are clear, consistent processes in place to guide health professionals through these critical early steps, always keeping the focus on families.
That means respecting families’ questions and concerns, as well as the emotional, educational, and day-to-day challenges that can come with an ASD diagnosis.
Both books recommend that professionals include parents as partners, recognizing and respecting parents’ knowledge about their own children and focusing on families’ concerns.
More information about ASD services in Missouri can also be found at the Thompson Foundation for Autism and Neurodevelopment.
Families' Overview and Summary of Best Practices
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment- For Educators
Those who work with children every day serve a critical role in the early identification of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Through regular interaction with children of all ages, teachers, counselors, and other education professionals can quickly note behaviors and traits that may be important early warning signals of ASDs.
Through the collaborative work of the Missouri Autism Guidelines Initiative, educators can now confidently point families to a clear set of best practices designed to improve the way ASDs are screened, diagnosed, and assessed for intervention planning in Missouri.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines to Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment is built on a collaborative community model that recognizes that a child and his or her family are best served through a tightly integrated and well-coordinated team of professionals. A second publication, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guide to Evidence-based Interventions, reinforces these concepts.
Educators' and Service Providers' Overview and Summary of Best Practices
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment- For Service Providers
Families of individuals with ASDs ultimately depend on state systems, community-based agencies, and individual providers to secure the day-to-day services that can make a real difference in their lives.
Recognizing this, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment introduces a community collaboration model designed to promote discussion among practitioners, state programs, educators, and families as they move toward improved community-based services for individuals with ASDs. A second publication, Autism Spectrum Disorders: Guide to Evidence-based Interventions, reinforces these concepts.
Educators' and Service Providers' Overview and Summary of Best Practices
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Missouri Best Practice Guidelines for Screening, Diagnosis, and Assessment
A collaborative project of the Thompson Foundation for Autism; the Division of Developmental Disabilities, Missouri Department of Mental Health; the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; and Mercy Children’s Hospital in St. Louis and Springfield. Funding for this site was provided by the Missouri Foundation for Health, a philanthropic organization whose vision is to improve the health of the people in the communities it serves.