Board index › General Discussion › General Autism Discussion

Can a speech and language therapist make a formal diagnoses

Page 1 of 1 [ 8 posts ] 

Previous topic | Next topic

Aspocractic
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 20 Apr 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 8

13 May 2013, 3:29 pm

Can a speech and language therapist make a formal diagnoses of autism or Aspergers syndrome ?



eric76
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

13 May 2013, 4:08 pm

If the psychologist/psychiatrist is knowledgeable enough to make a diagnosis of Aspergers or Autism, I wonder why they would be working as a speech therapist.



animalcrackers
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Feb 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,207
Location: Somewhere

13 May 2013, 4:08 pm

I don't think they'd be qualified to do that, although their assessment about it would probably carry a fair amount of weight so long as they worked with lots of autistic people.


_________________
"Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving." -- Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

Love transcends all.


redrobin62
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 Apr 2012
Age: 61
Gender: Male
Posts: 13,009
Location: Seattle, WA

13 May 2013, 4:33 pm

Here in sunny ol' Washington state, according to the DSHS Division of Developmental Disability, only the following may make a diagnosis:

Board Eligible Neurologist; Board Eligible Psychiatrist; Licensed Psychologist; Board Certified Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician

http://www.dshs.wa.gov/ddd/eligible.shtml


_________________
One Day At A Time.
His first book: http://www.amazon.com/Wetland-Other-Sto ... B00E0NVTL2
His second book: https://www.amazon.com/COMMONER-VAGABON ... oks&sr=1-2
His blog: http://seattlewordsmith.wordpress.com/


Marcia
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Age: 56
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,148

13 May 2013, 4:49 pm

Depends where you live, it seems. It is SLTs who do the diagnosing, certainly of children, in my part of Scotland.



Ettina
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 13 Jan 2011
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,971

13 May 2013, 7:08 pm

They'd be qualified to identify pragmatic language impairment, which is one of the defining features of autism/AS. But they aren't qualified to actually diagnose the condition.

However, I would take their opinion seriously, because they'd know a lot more about autism and AS than the average layperson. My guess is, if a SLT is saying you or your child is on the spectrum, they've probably noticed some strongly suggestive signs.



Callista
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 3 Feb 2006
Age: 41
Gender: Female
Posts: 10,775
Location: Ohio, USA

13 May 2013, 7:10 pm

No, they don't diagnose autism; they can however evaluate your speech/communication skills and describe them properly. A report from a speech therapist can be quite a good piece of evidence that a doctor can use to diagnose you.


_________________
Reports from a Resident Alien:
http://chaoticidealism.livejournal.com

Autism Memorial:
http://autism-memorial.livejournal.com


AspieSLP
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

User avatar

Joined: 31 Jan 2013
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Posts: 8

17 May 2013, 10:21 pm

I'm a speech-language pathology student, and yes, apparently we (SLPs) are able to make the AUTISM diagnosis. I assume this would include Asperger's. However, the SLPs who are my prefessors often admit that they would not be comfortable actually making the diagnosis and would prefer to refer the person on to another professional.

This quote is directly from ASHA, the SLP governing association: (http://www.asha.org/policy/PS2006-00105/)

Quote:
Appropriate roles for speech-language pathologists include but are not limited to the following:

Screening: Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in screening and early detection of individuals at risk for ASD and makes referrals to experienced professionals for diagnosis and intervention services.

Diagnosis: Speech-language pathologists who acquire and maintain the necessary knowledge and skills can diagnose ASD, typically as part of a diagnostic team or in other multidisciplinary collaborations, and the process of diagnosis should include appropriate referrals to rule out other conditions and facilitate access to comprehensive services.


So while I don't know any SLPs who would feel totally comfortable making the diagnosis, it is within our scope of practice.

I hope that helps! :)