Autistic adults' perspectives and experiences of diagnostic assessments that include play across the lifespan.
Emma Pritchard-Rowe, Carmen de Lemos, Katie Howard and 1 others
PMID 38864307WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults said play may help diagnostic assessments, but it should not decide diagnosis alone.
Tailor play use to age, gender and masking, ask about experiences, and describe differences and strengths rather than deficits.
Key findings
01Most participants discussed the value or potential value of using play in diagnostic assessments.
02Some participants said play observations may be misleading, especially when people mask, so play should not be a deciding factor.
03Some participants recommended assessing strengths or reframing deficits as differences in play-related assessment.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study asked 22 autistic adults for their views, so it cannot show how often these views occur or whether changing assessment practice improves diagnosis. The researchers did not collect detailed information about which assessments each person had, when, or at what age, so it is hard to link views to specific assessment methods. The participants were mostly professionally diagnosed, and the study did not include non-speaking autistic people, so the views may not represent all autistic people. The sample was UK-based and mostly White, so cultural and service-system differences may matter.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The work was funded by the Cambridge Trust and the LEGO Foundation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that play-based assessment works or fails. They are the reported views of 22 autistic adults, not tested diagnostic outcomes.