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Comprehensive Guide to Autism pp 311–326Cite as

Pediatric Screening of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Screening for autism spectrum disorders, especially in very young children, has received a great deal of attention in recent years. Screening is an important element of health care that can help identify potential conditions or diseases before they become a concern. The notion that one could screen for ASDs in very young children is a relatively recent development, as just a generation ago autism was considered a very rare disorder and was rarely diagnosed before age 30 months. However, with recent advances in early identification, development of promising screening tools, and a desire to help children receive earlier intervention, there has been an increase in support for early autism screening in the USA. While several screening instruments have been created, a small number have become widely adopted though they continue to be studied and developed. Screening instruments have been shown to identify early ASD before it is of concern to parents or physicians, but all instruments have limitations, either in age range, sensitivity and specificity, or feasibility. Physicians in the USA have begun incorporating screening into routine care, including some efforts to incorporate screening measures into the electronic health record. There is a concern, however, that because of the limitations of the measures, physicians may use them incorrectly. The UK has concluded that there is currently not enough evidence to suggest that universal screening would be effective or lead to better outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 Market St, 8th Floor, Suite 860, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Judith S. Miller

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Road, Unit 1020, Storrs, CT, 6269, USA

    Juhi Pandey

  3. Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, 6701 Fannin Street, Suite 1630, Houston, TX, 77030-2399, USA

    Leandra N. Berry

Authors
  1. Judith S. Miller
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  2. Juhi Pandey
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  3. Leandra N. Berry
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Judith S. Miller .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Westminster, Faculty of Science & Technology, London, United Kingdom

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Nutritional Sciences Division and Genomics Centre, King's College London, London, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  3. Faculty of Society and Health, Buckinghamshire New University, Middlesex, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

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Miller, J.S., Pandey, J., Berry, L.N. (2014). Pediatric Screening of Autism Spectrum Disorders. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V., Martin, C. (eds) Comprehensive Guide to Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4788-7_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4787-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4788-7

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