Early Diagnosis of Autism

From The Herald Sun:

Researcher Dr Megan Clark said sometimes parents and the medical community were hesitant to diagnose a child as being on the autism spectrum too early in life. “Currently in Australia, only 3 per cent of children are diagnosed as early as 24 months,” Ms Clark said. “We found, of the children diagnosed early, 73 per cent continued to meet the criteria for autism from toddlerhood through to school age, so it is possible to conclude that an early diagnosis is reliable and stable.”

The study found three-quarters of children who were detected early went to a mainstream primary school, compared with 57 per cent ­diagnosed later. “Often, one of the first questions around diagnosis is: ‘Will my child be able to attend a mainstream school?’ And our findings are encouraging for parents,” Dr Clark said. “Autism is a lifelong condition, but we know early intervention improves children’s ability to communicate and their cognition.” (Read more.)