Telehealth diagnostic assessment for autism and developmental language disorders: A systematic review

Significant delays in diagnosing neurodevelopmental disorders have driven interest in telehealth assessments as a viable alternative. This systematic review evaluates telehealth diagnostic tools for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental language disorder (DLD) in children, focusing on psychometric properties compared to traditional in-person assessments. Additionally, given the high phenotypic overlap between these disorders, this review aims to identify telehealth tools for differential diagnoses between ASD and DLD. A comprehensive search in PubMed and Web of Science identified 18 studies: 12 for ASD and 6 for DLD. Findings confirm telehealth assessments as valid and reliable, aligning closely with traditional methods. However, no telehealth tools were identified to effectively differentiate between ASD and DLD in children, highlighting the need for further research.