ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to describe the current condition by interviewing 15 medical doctors who involved in the diagnostic process of children with autism in the hospitals in Istanbul. In the process of determining the opinion of the specialists for diagnosis, semi-structured interview based on the qualitative research approach was used. Results of the study revealed that most of referrals to medical doctors with a suspicion of autism are done by pediatricians, teachers, pedagogues or psychologists due to the behaviors such as not establishing eye contact, lack of communication. Additionally, it is also seen that the specialists allowed 24 minutes on the average and they diagnosed the autistic children using only screening tests, development scales and DSM-IV criteria. Finally, specialists mentioned that problems such as the insufficiency of the duration for the diagnosis, the lack of biological marker in the diagnosis, the lack of following the neuro-motor development of the child, insufficiency of the special education services for the autistic children, the commercialization of the foundations giving education services in autism, lack of informing the families about autism, were faced during and after the diagnosis.