autism spectrum disorders

What is AN Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

ASD refers to a disorder with the core difficulty being social communication and interaction. There is a wide variety of presenting symptoms that can vary with age and language level, which can be confusing for parents when contemplating whether their child may have an ASD.

Difficulties include but are not restricted to:

  • difficulties with non-verbal gestures that are regularly used during communication including use of direct eye gaze, head nodding and shaking, waving, using various arm gestures, and sometimes reduced facial expressions. Individuals may also have difficulty reading emotions in others, particularly in relation to facial expressions
  • age-appropriate relationships with peers, including making and keeping friendships and understanding others' points of view, with difficulties engaging in varied and flexible imaginative play with others in particular
  • difficulties with social interaction, which varies from a lack of response to others to approaching strangers inappropriately, lack of sharing of interests to wanting to talk about interests constantly, however, the give and take of social interactions and conversations is generally impacted

Additional difficulties may be seen relating to:

  • repetitive motor movements
  • unusual ways of using objects, such as lining them up, dropping them repeatedly, or spinning them
  • repetitive or unusual speech patterns including echoing, repeating lines from television shows and movies (often without context), referring to self as "you" or by name, unusual intonation patterns
  • difficulties with changes in routine, or if things do not go as expected, can include wanting to eat the same foods
  • highly fixated interests including learning the alphabet and numbers at an early age despite delays in language skills, interests that are overly focused, preoccupations with objects such as fans, escalators, elevators
  • sensory interests, such as bringing objects up to stare at them or turning head sideways to look at them, touching hair, smelling objects or sensory difficulties related to noise, food textures, having wet clothes, dislike of clothing textures, high pain tolerance

The terms Asperger Disorder, Autistic Disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder are now collected together and referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder, as there was no research evidence that the separate terms were helpful or valid ways of looking at behaviours and skills. Current diagnosis is based on the criteria set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders- Fifth Edition (DSM-V) which guides qualifiedprofessionals in making a diagnosis.


what do i do if i think my child has an asd?

Parents always have the option of going through the public system, such as the Alberta Children's Hospital, in order for their child to be evaluated. However, waiting lists can vary from several months to longer than one year, and some parents may wish to get a diagnosis quickly in order for interventions to be put into place more rapidly. This can be particularly important for toddlers and preschoolers or children in school who are struggling with coping who may not have strategies in place to understand their needs and to help them.

An assessment with Dr. Joy Hauck involves the following "gold standard" evaluation:

  • use of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - Second Edition (ADOS-2), which is a semi-structured assessment and observation of communication, social interaction and imaginative skills. Activities that are introduced as part of the assessment vary according to a child's language level and age. Parents are typically asked to be present for very young children. Assessment in completed in the child's home in order for them to feel least anxious and to try to elicit their more typical behaviours.
  • One or more parents are interviewed using the Autism Diagnostic Interview - Revised (ADI-R), which is a detailed clinical interview that obtains information that is related to the diagnostic criteria as outlined in the DSM-V. This interview can last from 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the child's age.

Information may also be obtained from a teacher, with parental permission, if a child is attending preschool or school. Sometimes an observation in a preschool or school setting may be requested if there are further questions as to the child's interactions with peers, in particular. Parents may be asked to complete a questionnaire in regards to their child's adaptive or day-to-day living skills based on any concerns regarding self care abilities, if Dr. Hauck determines that this may be helpful in obtaining funded services.

A diagnosis is made based on all of the assessment information gathered utilising extensive clinical experience in the autism spectrum area. 

A consultation and feedback session immediately follows the interview to explain why a diagnosis may apply, answer parents' immediate questions and to then help a family get linked up to intervention services that are appropriate for their child. A thorough diagnostic report typically follows within several weeks.


families who do not live in Calgary

Dr. Hauck regularly sees children for ASD assessment who do not live in the Calgary area, including northern Alberta and parts of the interior of British Columbia. Families that live at a greater distance  choose to drive to Calgary where the assessment session can be done at the house of their relative if available  or at a hotel that the family stays in overnight. Please contact Dr. Hauck to discuss this option if this applies to you.