Challenges in assessing children with Autism: Making informed choices to assess the spectrum
Keywords:
Autism, IQ assessment, VIQ, PIQ, FSIQAbstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a diverse presentation. Our understanding and theories of the diversity of the condition are constantly evolving. The clinical profile of symptomatology and behavioral challenges need to be taken into consideration during the assessment of their skills and abilities. Most manualized psychological assessments are normed to the majority of a population, which automatically puts the neurodiverse population at a disadvantage, especially Autism, and the entire spectrum of its clinical presentation. The challenges faced by the stakeholders (parents, teachers, therapists, prospective employers, and persons on the spectrum themselves) in home, clinic, and classroom settings need to be put together with the scores of the assessments conducted, otherwise, the numbers will always remain an arbitrary concept. The current article attempts to find avenues within manualized procedures to assess children with Autism, otherwise prematurely labeled as 'untestable'.
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