The average age at which autism spectrum disorder is diagnosed four, though signs are often present well before that. Even where families and GPs may have concerns early in a child’s development, it can take a year or more for a consult with a paediatrician to become available. There are similar waiting lists to see other allied health and sub-specialists who may contribute opinions to a diagnosis. And there is some inconsistency as to what kind of supporting documentation is required to access support services at different layers if government. The Autism Cooperative Research Centre published a national guideline with 70 recommendations to streamline this process and improve equity for families from different backgrounds and living in different parts of the country. In this podcast we hear from a GP and a paediatrician working in regional practice about how this can help their patients receive early intervention in the critical developmental years. In Part 2 we get a response from the RACP’s Chair of Child and Community Health about underlying structural challenges including the paediatric training curriculum and the NDIS. 

Guests
Dr Jo McCubbin FRACP (Fitzpatrick House, Sale, VIC)
Dr James Best FRAGCP (Junction Street Medical Centre, Nowra NSW)

Production
Written and produced by Mic Cavazzini DPhil. Music licenced from Epidemic Sound includes ‘Sleeping Starchild’ by Daniel Fridell, ‘Falling from the Clouds’ by Sven Lindvall, ‘Lantern Room (Instrumental)’ by Torii Wolf and ‘Not Blue’ by Kylie Dailey. Image by Elva Etienne licenced from Getty Images.

References
> Australian National Guideline for the Assessment and Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders
> Implementing the National Guideline online  explainer

Please visit the RACP website for a transcript and supporting references. RACP members can claim CPD credits for listening via MyCPD.