HB Autism Summit
Autism Occupational Therapy
Resource Toolkit
Triangulation & Diversity of Assessment Methods & Use of Evidence-based Outcome Measures
Why Is It Important to Know Diverse Assessments Methods and Use Evidence-based Outcome Measures?
“Health care and educational legislation and policy require that clinicians demonstrate, using measurement and report of outcomes, accountability for services rendered. . . outcome data should support decision making and allow evaluation of intervention effectiveness; this information, in turn, helps target intervention more precisely, which then provides a higher standard of care (Frolek Clark, 2010). Moreover, outcome measurement in clinical practice can enhance third-party payment and provide a foundation for controlled trials of intervention efficacy, effectiveness studies, and translation and dissemination of interventions to foster sustainability (Burke & Gitlin, 2012).” – Faller et al., 2016
This section contains resources describing assessment methods and evidence-based outcome measures when supporting an autistic client’s goals.
The Sensory Profile™ 2, developed by WInnie Dunn, is a series of standardized assessment tools to help evaluate a child’s sensory processing patterns in the context of home, school, and community-based activities
SPM-2 is grounded in Ayres Sensory integration theory, helps to determine the sensory processing vulnerabilities within a sensory system. The measure helps to provide a more complete picture of sensory processing in different environments.
Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI) is a set of tools developed to assess key sensory integration functions. The EASI measures sensory perception, postural/ocular/bilateral motor integration, praxis, and sensory reactivity, in a manner that minimizes the influences of culture, language comprehension, and prior experience.
In this research article, Faller and colleagues describe the process of creating the Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) to support outcome measurement, decision making, and interventions. The researchers then describe the application of the DDDM process with an autistic child who received occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration
Episode 22 of Sensational Path by Dr. Zoe Mailloux outlines the importance of a thorough sensory assessment. She outlines the value of a sensory assessment and considerations based on sensory theory.
This webinar goes over some of the many available assessments for autism and how to administer them.
Researchers explore the neurodiversity-affirming paradigm and present examples of deficit based autism assessments and more neurodiversity affirming assessments.
Lived experience blog post by a mother of an autistic child detailing how to be ready for a child’s autism assessment from a parental perspective.