Updating the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism - Draft released for community feedback
As you may know, we have been working on updating the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism in Australia.
We are updating the Guideline so that it continues to be relevant and useful. The process has involved a review of research published since 2018, as well as online survey and focus groups to understand community views.
Autism CRC has today released the Draft (updated) National Guideline.
The draft is released for public feedback for six weeks, closing 4:00pm (AEST) on Monday 29 May 2023. All members of the community are welcome to provide feedback.
The Draft (updated) National Guideline, associated documents, and feedback portal can be accessed from the Guideline Update page where you can access the following:
- Draft (updated) National Guideline – this is the main document, and explains the context for the updated Guideline and 66 Recommendations and Good Practice Points
- Supporting Evidence – this document summarises the evidence supporting the Recommendations in the Draft (updated) National Guideline
- Administration and Technical Report – This document describes the steps taken by the Guideline Development Group to develop the Draft (updated) National Guideline
- Easy Read version of the Guiding Principles presented in the Draft (updated) National Guideline
- Feedback portal
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Autism CRC warmly welcomes feedback on the Guideline from the autistic and autism communities through the feedback portal, accessed from the website.
Please note that to ensure fairness, consistency, and that we meet our ethical obligations as part of research, the Guideline Development Group will only consider feedback provided via the Autism CRC Feedback Portal.
If you would like to learn more about the update process, a short explainer video is also available on demand from the Guideline Update webpage.
About the update
In 2018, Autism CRC published the National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Australia. This was the first national practice guideline in Australia, and led to important changes in the way autism is understood, assessed, and diagnosed in the Australian community.
It has been 5 years since the original Guideline was published and so it is time to update the Guideline so that it continues to be relevant to autistic people, those close to them, and practitioners who are involved in assessment and diagnosis.
The update was led by a Guideline Development Group, that included people with diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise. The group includes autistic people, family members, First Nations representation, an expert in ethics, and clinician-researchers with expertise in Guideline development. The group is diverse in terms of culture, gender, identity, professional and personal expertise, and communication preferences.