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Screening Measures

Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Definition

Autism screening is the process of administering a brief assessment to determine the level of risk for autism. This is usually done by giving parents a brief questionnaire or checklist about their child’s development, including social, language, motor, and cognitive development, but can also be done by direct clinical observation. If concerns about a child’s development arise from the screening instrument, the child is referred for a more in-depth, diagnostic, and developmental evaluation.

Historical Background

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are disorders of development; the Centers for Disease Control reported prevalence rates as 1 in 59 in 2014 (Baio et al. 2018). Evidence of neurobiological abnormalities in the first year of life (Courchesne 2004) and retrospective evaluation of infant behavior (Baranek 1999; Osterling and Dawson 1994) suggest that symptoms of ASD may be present by 12 months. Parents first report concerns around 17–18 months on average, although recent...

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Coulter, K., Hardy, S., Orinstein, A., Barton, M., Fein, D. (2020). Screening Measures. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_607-4

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Screening Measures
    Published:
    12 May 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_607-4

  2. Original

    Screening Measures
    Published:
    20 April 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_607-3