The AMSE was developed in New York City to improve access to ASD evaluations.
The Story Behind the AMSE
As an autism researcher at the Seaver Autism Center at the Icahn School of Medicine in Manhattan, David Grodberg, MD saw a need to improve the quality and accessibility of autism evaluations in the general community. Long waitlists for diagnostic evaluations were making it very hard for parents to get services for their child.
To meet that need, Dr. Grodberg developed the AMSE with support from the Seaver Autism Center and from a National Institute of Health funded KL2 grant in 2012. Since then, the AMSE has been downloaded for free thousands of times; research papers investigating its test performance in different countries have been published in peer reviewed journals and data has been presented at numerous international conferences.
FAQs
Is the AMSE a general screening tool?
Like most diagnostic assessment tools, the AMSE was validated in high risk populations such as in people who are suspected of having developmental delays like ASD. It was not tested in the general population. Therefore, it is not designed to be used as a screening tool in the general population.
Can the AMSE diagnose Autism?
The AMSE cannot diagnose autism by itself. Like all diagnostic assessment tools, it can help you understand the probability that a person has autism. You can then use that information to support your clinical judgment in making a diagnosis or in making a referral to appropriate diagnostic or intervention services.
Who can administer the AMSE?
The AMSE is intended to be used by health care professionals only. Early validation studies found that medical students and BA level research coordinators could be trained to fill out the AMSE as accurately as expert clinlicians. That said, you must have a clinical license to diagnose a person with ASD.
How do I use the score?
Most investigations of test performance indicate that a score of 5 or more suggests that there is a high probability that a person has autism spectrum disorder.
Do I have to use the score?
Many health care professionals simply use the AMSE to structure the way they observe and document a person’s symptoms of ASD without capitalizing on the score. For example, some clinicians have integrated the items as structured data fields into their progress notes. Other’s use it as a training tool.
Can I use the AMSE on myself or my child?
No. If you are concerned that you or a family member may have ASD you should contact a health care professional.