Developing a Graduate Certificate in Autism Diagnosis

The Graduate Certificate in Autism Diagnosis (CGAD) at the University of Western Australia (UWA) was first offered to students in 2015. Developed with Autism CRC support, the course was the first of its kind in the Australasian region, offering world leading training in the assessment and diagnosis of autism. However, the review of the initial course identified two limitations. First, the course focused on the assessment of children in the preschool and school age range, lacking substantial content on the assessment of toddlers and adults. Second, a significant impediment to completing the course for students from outside WA was that the practicum training was based in Perth. This project was funded to address these two limitations. 

The objectives of the project were to: 

1. Further develop the GCAD so it provides best-practice in training for diagnosis for people of all ages. This development included: 
   1. creating a teaching module to cover diagnosis of toddlers 
   2. creating a module to cover diagnosis of adults 
   3. producing videos of multidisciplinary assessments to supplement the observational component of the placement unit. 
2.  Improve access to the GCAD for students from outside Western Australia by negotiating arrangements for them to complete placements in their home states. 

The objectives of this project have been met. With the GCAD now training diagnosticians in all Australian states and territories, the benefits to the autism community and the country more broadly are profound.

Find out more

https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/courses/graduate-certificate-in-autism-dia…