Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental impairment that affects children and families around the globe. To better understand the role of Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in differing countries in supporting children with ASD and their families, the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP) Child Language Committee developed a survey for SLPs who were currently working with children or adolescents with ASD. The survey, developed online using Qualtrics, comprised 58 questions relating to background information of SLP, characteristics of children with ASD and the role of SLPs in diagnosis, assessment and intervention practices for children with ASD. Questions were designed with either multiple choice responses or short answers. The English version of the survey was translated into French, Russian, and Portuguese and distributed on-line through speech language pathology associations of IALP. The responders were 1114 SLPs (representing 35 countries) who completed the survey. Most of the respondents (91%) were experienced in working with children with ASD with only 9 % who had recently begun to work with children with ASD. The majority of the SLPs who responded (75%) worked in schools or early childhood settings. The finding that SLPs reported the typical age of diagnosis of ASD was 3 to 4 years of age across most countries differs to other reports that suggest many children with ASD are not diagnosed until around 5 years of age. Additionally, the majority of SLPs participate in the diagnosis as part of a professional team.

Duration: 2015-2017

Website: IALP

Funding: Intenrations association of phonetixa dn locgopsi - 20000 €