Assessing Effectiveness of the Differential Assessment of Autism and Other Developmental Disorders (DAADD) as a Diagnostic Screening Instrument

Abstract

Children with developmental disorders were thought to be more similar than different in the past (Greenspan & Wieder, 1998). Many developmental disorders are a result of neurological differences and/or delays in a child's acquisition of general skills and can present similarly at a young age (Richard & Calvert, 2003). Therefore, there has recently been an emphasis on the need for developmental disorders to be differentiated because of the differences being noted. Many assessment tools, including specialized checklists, interview formats, and standardized tests used to assist in the diagnosis of developmental disorders are available. The Differential Assessment of Autism and other Developmental Disorders (DAADD) was developed to differentiate among specific developmental disorders by observing pertinent behaviors. The purpose of this study was to determine if the DAADD was an accurate screening instrument for differential diagnosis. Subjects included seven clients referred to the Eastern Illinois University Speech-LanguageHearing Clinic for a diagnostic evaluation. The final clinical diagnosis garnered the highest percentage of observed behaviors on the DAADD in two of three subjects with an identified disorder. The DAADD correctly rejected disorders not present in four of five subjects. Overall, the final diagnosis agreed with indications from the DAADD 85.71% of the time. Current and past research suggested this tool was appropriate for screening and beneficial for clinical use.

Date of Award	2007
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Gail Richard (Supervisor)