The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders (DISCO) (Wing et al, 2002) has been designed and evaluated to assist in the diagnosis of people with a query of an autism spectrum disorder of all ages, from infancy to old age.
Its special value is that it collects information concerning all aspects of each individual's skills, deficits and untypical behaviour, not just the 'features' of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Information about each item is required for the individual's past and their current picture. Therefore, when there is no informant available to give an early history, the items of the schedule can be completed for current skills, deficits and untypical behaviour.
For this reason, the advantages of the DISCO, compared with other diagnostic schedules, is that the information collected concerning the current picture can provide diagnostic information about a possible ASD. Also, it gives information regarding any other developmental, psychological or psychiatric disorder.
If there is no developmental history, this does not allow for a diagnosis using the ICD or DSM classification systems, but the information gathered from the DISCO does allow the experienced clinician to use their clinical judgement to make a working diagnosis in order to plan a management programme.
To read more about DISCO, see: Wing, L. et al (2002). The Diagnostic Interview for Social and Communication Disorders: Background, inter-rater reliability and clinical use. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43, pp307-325.