With some children waiting years to receive an autism diagnosis because of a lack of available authorized clinicians, state Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, advanced a plan Thursday that would enable qualified speech-language pathologists to diagnose autism spectrum disorder if the child is under age three and has no co-occurring medical conditions.
“Getting a diagnosis sooner so that a child can access effective, specialized autism interventions during early brain development can make a difference that lasts a lifetime,” Manley said. “This legislation will help to remove a bottleneck, give parents the answers they need and ensure our children receive the best support possible without costly delays.”
Currently, too few psychologists and pediatricians are trained in early autism diagnosis, creating shortages that have caused statewide delays and prevented children from accessing behavioral therapies, insurance coverage and special education support.
Under Manley’s House Bill 5225, a qualified speech-language pathologist would be empowered to diagnose autism spectrum disorders if the child is under age three and has no co-occurring medical conditions, such as seizures, gastrointestinal problems or sleep disorders. The licensed speech-language pathologist would need to have an active autism evaluation credential issued by the Illinois Early Intervention Program, and the diagnosis must occur as part of the program.
A child that is diagnosed must be referred to appropriate medical personnel for further evaluation or management for services outside the scope of practice of a speech-language pathologist.
House Bill 5225 passed the House with bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
For more information contact repmanley@gmail.com.
