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CLINICAL RESOURCES
Clinical Cheat Sheets
Concise, evidence-based reference tools designed to support differential diagnosis and day-to-day clinical decision-making.
DIAGNOSTIC PROTOCOL
5. Differential diagnostic checklist
Use this structured evaluation matrix to systematically review patient history, thought structure, social cognitive patterns, and perceptual experiences during diagnostic assessment.
| Diagnostic domain | Autism spectrum disorder | Psychosis / schizophrenia | Clinical verification tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developmental history | Continuous presence of traits from toddlerhood. | Clear functional drop-off from premorbid state in late adolescence. | Obtain developmental collateral from parents / early school records. |
| Thought content | Over-focused special interests; logical but hyper-literal. | Bizarre or persecutory delusions; ideas of reference. | Assess whether beliefs stem from social misunderstanding or delusion. |
| Thought process | Coherent, detailed, tangential due to interest focus. | Loosening of associations, word salad, derailment. | Evaluate formal thought disorder during structured conversation. |
| Social communication | Pragmatic language difficulties; eye contact aversion. | Avolition, social detachment secondary to paranoia or apathy. | Differentiate baseline social capacity from recent withdrawal. |
| Sensory / perception | Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to physical light, sound, texture. | True auditory, visual, or somatic hallucinations. | Ask whether "voices" are heard inside the mind or through the ears. |
Clinical reference tool for differential psychiatry. Data synthesized from contemporary psychopathological literature on ASD and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.
Keep reading
All clinician tools pages →- Clinician toolsOCD vs. schizophreniaDistinguishing obsessions with poor insight from delusions.For clinicians
- Autism++Autism vs. psychosisA plain-language differential guide for families and front-line clinicians.For families
- Autism++ASD vs. schizophrenia (clinical)The full clinical differential, including pitfalls, mimics, and catatonia.For clinicians
- Clinician toolsScreening questionnairesPQ-16, PQ-B and other downloadable screening instruments.For clinicians