Early and Repeated Screening Detects Autism Spectrum Disorder

Area of Science:

• Pediatric developmental screening
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnostics

Background:

• Early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is crucial for timely intervention.
• Well-child visits offer a critical opportunity for developmental screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the timing and accuracy of initial and repeated Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening during routine well-child visits.
• To determine the impact of early screening initiation on diagnostic timelines.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involved screening 5784 toddlers at 12, 15, or 18 months.
• Children were rescreened at 18, 24, and 36 months.
• ASD evaluations were conducted for children with positive screens or provider concerns.

Main Results:

• Initiating Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening at 12 months resulted in significantly earlier diagnoses compared to 15 or 18 months.
• Initial screening demonstrated a sensitivity of .715 and specificity of .959.
• Repeat screening improved sensitivity to 82.1% without significantly decreasing specificity.

Conclusions:

• Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as early as 12 months effectively identifies at-risk children and facilitates earlier diagnosis.
• While early screening aids timely intervention, repeated screening is necessary to enhance diagnostic sensitivity.
• Screening at 18 months showed a higher positive predictive value than at 12 or 15 months.