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Evaluating Autism Diagnostic and Screening Tools for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness

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Abstract

While clear guidelines and best practices exist for the assessment of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), little information is available about assessing for ASD in culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations. CLD populations might be misidentified and under-identified with ASD due to the assessment practices that we employ. Four autism diagnostic tools and six autism screeners were selected and evaluated for their cultural and linguistic responsiveness. Although the evaluation of ASD within CLD populations is highly complex, this study identified the need for improved autism assessment tools and practices. Without the appropriate assessment of these populations, CLD children will likely continue to be misidentified (or not identified at all) and will miss crucial intervention opportunities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Colorado Denver, 1380 Lawrence Street #1114, Denver, CO, 80217, USA

    Bryn Harris

  2. University of Colorado Denver, 1380 Lawrence Street #1115, Denver, CO, 80217, USA

    Chantel Albert

  3. Vanderbilt University, 230 Appleton Place, Peabody 228, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Erin E. Barton

Authors
  1. Bryn Harris
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  2. Erin E. Barton
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  3. Chantel Albert
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Correspondence to Bryn Harris.

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Harris, B., Barton, E.E. & Albert, C. Evaluating Autism Diagnostic and Screening Tools for Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness. J Autism Dev Disord 44, 1275–1287 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1991-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1991-8

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