Autism assessment and diagnosis for babies, toddlers, children and young people
Learn more about how an autism diagnosis is made for children, teenagers and adults, and get tips and advice for sharing an autism diagnosis.
Autism assessments look at a child’s learning, daily skills, social communication, and sensory experiences. Early screening through maternal and child health services or a GP can help families get support sooner. Assessments by health professionals help plan the right supports, strategies, and learning opportunities for each child.
Whilst every person is different, we generally see three assessment and diagnosis steps:
- autism screening in early childhood, or Autism assessments in toddlers, children and young people
- medical evaluations by paediatricians as some autism traits may look like other conditions
- an autism diagnosis evaluation as outlined in the National Guidelines for Australia.
Autism screening in babies and toddlers
Autism can be identified as early as 6 months of age. Many states and territories across Australia offer free maternal child health services for families.
Maternal child health nurses (MCHNs) are a good place to start. You can discuss your child’s development with them. Many MCHNs have been trained to recognise autism and other development differences with children, using the Social Attention and Communication (SACs) Tool . If your MCHN does not have access to the SACs Tool, you can download the free mobile app for parents and carers which will give you the same information.
Next steps for parents or carers
If you want to explore screening options for your child, contact your GP or MCHN and ask about options. Alternatively you can use the ASDetect App and track your child’s development over time.
Autism assessment in children and young people
Sometimes the potential that a child is Autistic will be flagged by maternal child health nurses, teachers or paediatricians. They may use screening tools at this stage, which may identify the likelihood of autism and if assessment is warranted. It is also common for parents to be the first to identify that their child is potentially Autistic.
Medical assessments by a paediatrician
Paediatricians will complete a full medical assessment if a GP or MCHN has identified differences in your child’s development. This is not a diagnosis, however will form part of the autism assessment.
Some autism traits may look like other conditions, so the paediatrician needs to do a full evaluation to make sure the traits a child is exhibiting are not attributable to something other than autism. For example, a paediatrician may test your child’s hearing to check that the developmental delays they are showing are not attributable to being deaf or hard of hearing. Paediatricians will also screen for conditions that are likely to occur with Autistic people, such as ADHD or intellectual disability. Paediatricians will also ask about family history, and the child’s other siblings.
A paediatrician will recommend the next pathway for a formal autism assessment which may lead to a formal autism diagnosis.
The National Guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism in Australia
There two ways autism diagnosis evaluations are made in Australia, as outlined in the National Guidelines for the Assessment of Autism in Australia (2023) . They are the consensus team and lead practitioner diagnostic evaluation approaches.
Consensus team
This was once called the multidisciplinary team approach. Some paediatricians and child psychiatrists will provide referrals to see a team of other professionals which might include psychologists, speech pathologists and/or occupational therapists. Each of these will do their own assessment with the final diagnosis given by the paediatrician or child psychiatrist based on their reports.
Assessment by a team is important particularly where a diagnosis is less clear or there is more complexity, such as where there are other co-occurring conditions such as intellectual disability or trauma which can have overlapping characteristics with autism.
Lead practitioner
Some children and young people are assessed and diagnosed primarily by one professional, such as a paediatrician, child psychiatrist, or clinical psychologist who has specialist training in autism assessment. This approach is best for assessment where autism is clearer and if it is not, clinicians may need to involve additional professionals and assessments. Some families choose this pathway because it can be faster and may give access to professionals that have backgrounds working with specific autism presentations or groups, such as girls or internalised presentations of autism. Often, these kinds of assessments are paid for privately without Medicare rebates or referral.
Medicare and government-funding for autism assessment and diagnosis in children
There are of government-funded teams that specialise in the assessment and diagnosis of autism around the country. Parents can contact these teams directly, but you may need a referral from your GP or paediatrician.
There are also private practitioners and teams who conduct assessments on a fee-paying basis. Medicare rebates are available for assessment. You can read about them on the Downloads and online learning page of this site. Scroll down to the Information Sheets about Medicare. There can be long waiting lists for assessment. Try to get on several waiting lists. You could contact them regularly to check how the list is going.
Related information to Autism assessment and diagnosis for babies, toddlers, children and young people
For more information
To get more information – including advice tailored to your specific situation – please contact the Amaze Autism Connect advisors on 1300 308 699, email [email protected] or use the webchat on this site.
This service is open from 8am–7pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).