New Developments in the Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders Now Available from The Test Agency in the UK

March 24, 2005 - Press Dispensary - The Test Agency Ltd (http://www.testagency.com), a subsidiary of the Hogrefe group and one of the UK’s leading publishers of psychometric tests, today announces a distribution initiative with the US-based publishers; Western Psychological Services (WPS), which makes products from the WPS catalogue in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders easily accessible in the UK.

Practitioners who work in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders will be familiar with the name ‘Michael Rutter’ and many may have used his products, ADOS and ADI-R, as part of their armoury of assessment tools. Until recently, the products have only been available by ordering directly from the USA through WPS. The cementing of the relationship between The Test Agency and WPS means regular users of these products are already benefiting from the greater ease of accessibility gained from the establishment of a UK based distributor.

The ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) product is a semi-structured assessment that can be used to evaluate anyone suspected of having autism – ranging from toddlers to adults and those with no speech to those who are verbally fluent. ADOS consists of four modules each requiring 35 to 40 minutes to administer. The individual being assessed is given just one module depending on his or her expressive language level and chronological age.

Meanwhile, ADI-R (revised edition of the Autism Diagnostic Interview) provides the experienced clinical interviewer with a standardised procedure for questioning parents or carers about the developmental history and current behaviour of the individual under evaluation.

Wendy Lord, chief psychologist at The Test Agency, comments: ‘The addition of the ADOS and ADI-R assessment tools to our catalogue consolidates our aim of making high-value, difficult-to-obtain tests more easily available to UK practitioners.’

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About The Test Agency
The Test Agency Ltd, based in Oxford, was established in 1972 and incorporated in 1974. The company is a subsidiary of the Hogrefe Group: Europe’s leading publisher of psychometric tests, scientific journals and textbooks. Catering for the needs of public and private sector organisations, The Test Agency has grown to be one of the UK’s best known publishers and distributors of psychometric tests, testing software and training for those who deliver tests.

For further information please contact:
Wendy Lord, The Test Agency
Tel: 01865 402900
Email:
Site: www.testagency.com