The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published clinical guidelines for autism in children and young people. The guidelines focus on improving recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people with autism in England and Wales, and will bring about a far more consistent approach to referral and diagnosis, and mean more children get quicker access to necessary support services. NICE guidelines are considered best practice and will taken on board by health and social care commissioners across the UK. Local areas can now review their own diagnostic services against these guidelines to make sure that they are following best practice.
The guidelines include key recommendations such as the formation of a multi-disciplinary 'autism team' in each local area and the creation of local autism multi-agency strategy groups. It also advises that for each child who has an autism diagnostic assessment, a case coordinator from the autism team should be identified and that an assessment of the child’s social and communication skills and behaviours should be included, as well as a profile of the child or young person's strengths, skills, impairments and needs.
This is the first of three clinical guidelines on autism. NICE is currently working on two further guidelines - one looks at diagnosis and management of autism in adults (to be published in June 2012) and the other is regarding the management of autism in children and young people (to be published in November 2013).
The NICE guidelines can be downloaded at here.
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