If you have concerns about your child's development, talk to his or her health care provider right away. The provider then can examine the child and check for specific problems, such as autism.
Routine Developmental Screening
Your child's health care provider will check for problems with development at every well-baby and well-child visit, even if you don't report any of the signs of autism.1,2 In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that health care providers administer an ASD-specific tool to assess development at the 18-month and 24-month visits regardless of whether the child has risk factors for ASD.3
During these developmental screenings, the health care provider may:
- Ask you specific questions about your child's actions and behavior
- Ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your child's behavior
- Speak directly to the child
Specialized Screening for ASD 4,5
The health care provider might use a screening test specifically for ASD. This test might be the Checklist of Autism in Toddlers (CHAT), the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), or another test.
In addition, the health care provider may also recommend that your child have a blood test to help rule out some other conditions and problems.6
Depending on the results of the blood test and the developmental and other screenings, your child's health care provider will either:
- Rule out autism or
- Refer your child to a specialist in child development or another specialized field to diagnose the child with autism. The specialist will then do a number of tests to figure out whether your child has autism or another condition. These will include tests of your child's communication abilities and observation of the child's behaviors.
Diagnosing ASD
There are various tools that specialists commonly use to diagnose autism. Two common tools are the Autism Diagnosis Interview - Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2).
In the ADI-R, the specialist will ask you a long list of questions about your child. The questions are in four areas:
- Communication
- Social interaction
- Repetitive behaviors
- The age at which certain behaviors or skills began
During an ADOS-2 assessment, the specialist interacts directly with your child in social and play activities. For example, the specialist will see whether the child responds to his or her name and how the child performs in pretend play, such as with dolls. The specialist is looking for specific characteristics that are hallmarks of ASD.
Depending on your child's unique symptoms and needs, the team of specialists may also want to give your child a range of other tests. These might include tests to look for other disorders that are sometimes linked to autism. For example, the child might get a genetic test to look for specific genetic disorders, such as Fragile X syndrome. If your child shows symptoms of seizures, a brain specialist, or neurologist, might use electrical sensors to observe your child's brain activity. A hearing specialist, or audiologist, might test your child's hearing, which can sometimes seem impaired in children with ASD. Other tests might include a blood test for lead poisoning, tests of muscle strength, and tests of your child's ability to control movement. These tests will determine how best to help your child.
- Myers, S. M., & Johnson, C. P.; American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities. (2007). Management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1162-1182. [top]
- Johnson, C. P., & Myers, S. M.; American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities. (2007). Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1183-1215. [top]
- American Academy of Pediatrics. (2006). Identifying infants and young children with developmental disorders in the medical home: An algorithm for developmental screening and surveillance. Pediatrics, 118 (1): 405-420. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-1231. [top]
- Johnson, C. P., & Myers, S. M.; American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities. (2007). Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1183-1215.61. [top]
- Myers, S. M., & Johnson, C. P.; American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities. (2007). Management of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1162-1182. [top]
- Johnson, Meyers, and the Council on Children with Disabilities. (2007, reaffirmed in 2009). Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1183-1215.) [top]