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Screening Measures

Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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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 severe disorders of development; the Centers for Disease Control reported prevalence rates as 1 in 68 in 2014 (Baio 2014). Evidence of neurobiological abnormalities in the first year of life (Courchesne 2004) as well as retrospective evaluation of infant behavior (Baranek 1999; Osterling and Dawson 1994) suggests that symptoms of ASD may be present by 12 months. Parents first report concerns around 17–18 months on average, although...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Advanced Counseling and Testing Solutions, Lancaster, PA, USA

    Sarah Hardy

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Alyssa Orinstein

  3. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA

    Sarah Hardy, Alyssa Orinstein, Marianne Barton & Deborah Fein

Authors
  1. Sarah Hardy
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  2. Alyssa Orinstein
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  3. Marianne Barton
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  4. Deborah Fein
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarah Hardy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Hardy, S., Orinstein, A., Barton, M., Fein, D. (2018). 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_607-3

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

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

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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

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