The launch of this critical position statement from the Australian Medical Assiciation (AMA) is most welcome. It is also timely given that the annual conference for the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) begins in Perth tomorrow. Again, across both the clinical and scientific communities we are hearing repeated calls for:
1. Earlier detection of ASD.
2. Better training for professionals in ASD assessment and diagnosis.
3. National guidelines to assist professionals in the gold standard approach to ASD assessment.
4. Intensive early intervention for young children with ASD following early diagnosis.
Annie’s Centre supports these calls wholeheartedly! We are directly involved in training health professionals in gold standard and evidenced based ASD assessment and diagnosis. We also fundamentally believe in and offer intensive early intervention.
We need more government support on these issues. We also need degrees for allied health and medical professionals to include more information on this earlier in the professional training process.
Australian Medical Association
