Delivering ASC Diagnostic Assessments Online
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Delivering Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) Diagnostic Assessments Online
IRAS ID
287846
Contact name
Leanne Chrisostomou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Portsmouth
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
0000-0002-5317-5416, ORCID
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by impairment in social communication, social interaction and a repetitive and restricted pattern of interest, behaviour and activity (DSM-5, 2013). Diagnosis is exclusively clinical and the process of identifying ASC includes several specialist appointments to determine if the young person’s ASC traits meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria (Constantino & Charman, 2016). Due to the large number of children awaiting to receive an assessment of ASC, there is a delay on average of 3.5 years in the United Kingdom (Crane, Chester, Goddard, Henry, Hill, 2016). The delay in diagnosis increases stress and anxiety for both the young people awaiting an assessment and their families (Crane et al., 2016; Zwaigenbaum et al., 2016) and reduces essential access to early intervention services, which are critical for positive outcomes (Smith et al., 2017). Due to the necessity to maintain social distancing generated by the Coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19), the delay in receiving an assessment for ASC was prolonged further as none urgent face-to-face assessments were placed on hold within the NHS. Therefore, in order to restart ASC assessments, diagnostic services are now being offered via an online telehealth platform within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS); yet there are no guidelines to conduct standardised online ASC assessments. In order to develop guidelines for online ASC assessments, the efficacy of the online ASC assessment in identifying ASC specific characteristics will be evaluated by observing interactional skills demonstrated online and in a familiar environment (Damico & Nelson, 2005). Further, this project will gather the clinicians and the children and young people’s perspectives of their experience of online telehealth ASC assessments through online semi-structured interviews to understand the strengths and limitations of an online ASC diagnostic process.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/PR/0958
Date of REC Opinion
8 Jan 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion