At a Glance
The DISCO interview for autistic adults is a comprehensive tool that helps clinicians understand autism beyond known traits and surface behaviours. It allows clinicians to explore an autistic individual’s developmental history in depth, helping them gain a deeper insight into the individual’s communication styles, strengths, and challenges. Unlike standard assessments, DISCO captures the nuances of masking and co-occurring conditions such as ADHD and dyspraxia, helping adults who are preparing to get an autism assessment understand what to expect.
How the DISCO Interview Supports Autism Diagnosis in Adults
Diagnosing autism in adults can be a challenging task, as many individuals at this stage have mastered certain masking behaviours. These include camouflaging and performative tendencies, which are used to present an outwardly normal appearance when in reality they are struggling within. Traditional assessment tools can be limiting as they don’t account for the subtle nuances of such behaviours, often going by autism stereotypes.
This is especially the case when it comes to autistic women, individuals with high-functioning autism or those with co-occurring conditions such as ADHD and dyspraxia. Many experienced clinicians recognised these challenges when it came to diagnosing autism in adults. This depth makes DISCO especially valuable for adults looking to get autism assessments with greater clarity and accuracy.
DISCO is an interview tool designed to help clinicians create a comprehensive profile of an autistic adult. Unlike standard screening tools that offer brief insight, DISCO allows clinicians to take a deeper look into the developmental aspects of an individual with autism. It goes beyond traditional diagnostic criteria, informing a clinician of an autistic individual’s strengths, weaknesses, communication preferences and more.
In this article, we explore how DISCO interviews help clinicians diagnose autism in adults.
What the DISCO Interview Is and Why It’s Used in Adult Assessments
The diagnostic interview for social and communication disorders (DISCO) was developed in the 1970s by Dr Lorna Wing and Dr Judith Gould. They found that the autism assessment criteria at the time lacked the depth needed for autism research.
This spurred them to develop DISCO, an autism assessment tool that provided a structure to gather detailed insights about an autistic individual. This included collecting information about an autistic adult’s developmental history, sensory sensitivities, communication styles, strengths and more.
DISCO was created to be used in clinical and research settings and went beyond traditionally accepted autistic traits. It allowed clinicians to gain deeper insight into an autistic individual’s personal experiences, burnout, fatigue and coping mechanisms. This helps them make a more comprehensive and accurate autism assessment.
How the DISCO Interview Works and Its Unique Developmental Focus
Many clinicians trust DISCO interviews for autistic adults because of its efficacy in creating a comprehensive profile and the flexibility it offers. Its semi-structured format allows clinicians to uncover qualitative data spanning an autistic individual’s whole life.
Typically, DISCO interviews are done with two people, one being the individual being assessed for autism and the other being a carer such as a parent, sibling or relative. DISCO interviews are equally valid when the person being assessed is the only person being interviewed
You may wonder why DISCO interviews for autistic adults are so important, especially when other tools exist. These include the developmental, dimensional and diagnostic interview (3Di), the autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R) and the autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS and ADOS-2).
The reason why DISCO has featured prominently in adult autism diagnosis is its unique developmental focus and dimensional approach, which other tools lack. For example, when comparing DISCO interview vs ADI-R, you’ll find that DISCO sees autistic individuals in their wholeness, and not just their autistic traits.
This holistic approach is especially useful when it comes to diagnosing co-occurring conditions like ADHD, dyspraxia, with autism. While ADI-R is a credible tool, DISCO shows more sensitivity and covers a broader range of information necessary, especially for diagnosing co-occurring conditions.
Benefits of DISCO for Autistic Adults, Including Co‑Occurring Conditions
Since DISCO interviews yield valuable and comprehensive insight, they come with several benefits. This is especially true when it comes to validating the experiences of adults who’ve been struggling with their autistic traits for the majority of their lives.
DISCO interviews can have a profound impact on you. This is because when you hear your parents or carers validate many of your behavioural struggles and concerns, you’re able to make sense of your own experiences.
DISCO also provides clinicians with the opportunity to identify co-occurring conditions like ADHD, dyspraxia, alongside autism, with its comprehensive developmental review. This detailed review also highlights patterns and signs of conditions like chronic anxiety, OCD and learning difficulties, enabling a dual diagnosis that can pave the way for better, more tailored support.
What to Expect in a DISCO Interview at a Private Autism Assessment
DISCO interviews for autistic adults are a common feature of most private autism assessments. This is used to complement any specialist reports and other diagnostic tools that help make for a more holistic assessment. If you’re preparing to undergo a formal autism assessment, you can expect the DISCO interview to last anywhere between two and a half to three hours.
During this time, you’ll be asked to recollect your childhood experiences, preferably in a chronological manner. Instead of broad generalisations, a clinician will ask you to be more specific with your responses, especially when it comes to your personal experience of certain incidents.
If you’re accompanied by an informant, they’ll be asked questions about your childhood, with a focus on key developmental milestones. DISCO interviews are lengthy and can be emotionally draining, so clinicians always ask you to make room for rest and recovery after the interview is over.
This information is then collated into a diagnostic assessment that will confirm whether you meet the clinical criteria for autism so you can get an autism assessment.
Ready to Take a Formal Autism Assessment? Contact Connect to Autism
Now that you know how DISCO interviews for autistic adults help clinicians make more accurate autism assessments, why not consider getting an autism assessment by an experienced therapist?
Connect To Autism provides
- A free 30-minute consultation
- Private, clinical diagnostic autism assessments for adults 16+
The service is led by Anne Marie Gallagher, an autism consultant and speech and language therapist with over 25 years of experience in autism diagnosis and assessments. She’s been at the forefront of training clinicians on using DISCO across the NHS in Scotland, making her experience invaluable when it comes to professional autism assessments.
Anne Marie provides comprehensive evaluations and detailed reports, with the aim of helping you better understand yourself. She develops tailored strategies for your emotional and psychological well-being.
If you’re ready to talk, call us at 07958 449402 or book a free 30-minute consultation.