Participants
Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM-5, autism
Children aged between 3 and 12 years of age who met DSM-5 criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder were recruited. Children aged between 3–12 were recruited to the BMC, while children aged 3–6 were recruited to TKI. This decision was based on available funding provided to each site. Participants were recruited through advertisements and specialist networks. To confirm eligibility, caregivers of participants initially completed a telephone screening assessment to determine whether their child had received a previous diagnosis associated with autism and were not likely to meet noted exclusion criteria.Participants then completed screening assessments, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) [