New guidelines call for improved assessments of children with autism spectrum disorder

All children suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder
should have access to a multi-agency assessment and be provided
with a key worker, according to new national guidelines.

The plan by the National Initiative for Autism: Screening and
Assessment core working group recommends that a key worker is
appointed to a child as soon as ASD is suspected, and that a family
care plan identifying general and specific ASD interventions for
the child and family be drawn up within six weeks of the initial
multi-agency assessment.

The guidelines also urge all local areas to establish a local
ASD co-ordinating group to review existing services and identify
training and resource needs within the next 18 months in order to
provide comphrensive intervention services. Every local area should
have an ASD-trained teacher to consult and set up ASD specific
individual educational plans.

Welcoming the plan, David Potter, head of policy at the National
Autistic Society, said: “All the available evidence suggests
that the best results for children with ASD come from early
interventions that address the range of difficulties these children
experience.”

‘National Autism Plan for Children’ is available from www.nas.org.uk/profess.niasa.html