Autism In Young Children

History of Early Detection of ASD Now, ASD represents a major public health challenge in the United State as the annual cost of caring for individuals with ASD has reached $137 billion. With the help of early detection and early behavioral intervention, individuals with ASD are able to lessen the intellectual impairment at an early stage, leading to better long-term outcomes and higher quality of life. Because of an increasing insight in developmental psychopathology field, detection and diagnostic process shifts from a very poor prognosis to a more accurate and advanced stage (Dawson & Bernier, 2013). Before the 1980s, most of the early detection of autism relied on operant conditioning and many specialists believed that autism could not be recognized before children had developed language and symbolic play skills. However, now there has been clear evidence that can show changes in early behaviors in infants and children with ASD. A more integrated method of applied behav...

Diagnostic Tools Parents or pedestrians are usually the first ones who might notice some difference in children's behaviors. As parents might notice some concerning signs on their children, they could schedule an autism screening or consultation with local clinicians. These screening are designed to detect signs of children at risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Since they are not very comprehensive, they are usually quite straightforward and quick. It is important to notice that screening is different from diagnosis. Currently, there is no specific diagnostic “test” for autism spectrum disorders. The diagnosis is established through a comprehensive evaluation that includes lifetime and family history, review of medical and educational records, behavioral observation, physical examination, administration of standardized instruments, which are carried out by specialists (Blenner, Reddy & Augustyn, 2011). One of the common standardized test used is called the American Psychiatr...

Introduction This semester I interned in a research lab at Vanderbilt University. The lab studies language growth in young children with disabilities and explore effective intervention strategies that can be used by both parents and teachers. During the informational interview I conducted with several staff members, I learned a lot about the assessment and diagnosis of young children with autism. Tatiana, one of the staff members in the lab, told me that some of the common characteristics of research participants, such as repetitive behaviors, and delays in verbal and social communications. She also pointed out that autism affects across all populations as she leads a grant that focuses on the effectiveness of intervention strategies for Hispanic children. Suzanne also pointed out that the current assessment and diagnostic tools, such as ADOS, have been proven quite useful. However, it is also difficult to officially diagnose children with ASD when they are very young. Some other s...