If your son or daughter’s doctor has any concerns about his/her developmental status, they may refer your son or daughter to other health care professionals, clinics, specialists or resources for further assessment and diagnosis.
There can be many healthcare professionals involved in the assessment and diagnosis process, such as:
- Doctor (child or adult)
- Developmental Pediatrician (for children)
- Clinical Psychologist (child for adult)
- Child Neurologist (child)
- Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) (child or adult)
- Occupational Therapist (OT) (child or adult)
- Physiotherapist (PT) (Child or adult)
- Nurse (child or adult)
- Social Worker (child or adult)
- Others
To better understand what each health professional does, please go to our FAQ page by clicking here.
Information gathered by health care professionals are:
Past and Current Developmental History
- Physical movement
- Intellectual development
- Health status
Social Communication and Interaction
- Evaluation of verbal communication skills with others, i.e. ability to express feelings and emotions
- Evaluation of nonverbal communication – such as eye contact, body language, use of gestures, and facial expressions
- How your child plays with others – i.e. ability to share, understand relationships, and adjust behaviours in different social situations
Behaviours
- Daily activity routines, such as sleeping, eating and getting ready for the day
- How your child responds in different situations
For more information on diagnosis and the assessment process, visit the following websites:
- Information for Manitobans with Disabilities, available from the Government of Manitoba
- Autism Canada
- Autism Central
For resources and additional links on diagnosis and assessment when you are an adult, visit the following websites: