Early Assessment in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Evaluating children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is both an art and a science, and can be sometimes complicated. Due to the rapid increase of prevalence of ASD worldwide in the past decades, more professionals are being challenged to provide services to more children with ASD. Not only critical decisions have to be made to determine if a child is on the spectrum or not, but detailed evaluation procedures are also needed to determine the child's current functional level, which will serve as the guideline for treatment planning. The purpose of this article is to provide a suggested protocol to help professionals in the evaluation process. To begin with a brief background introduction of ASD is followed by the early development and characteristics of ASD, and it concludes with a detailed protocol of the early assessment areas and recommended diagnostic instruments. A good deal could be added to the discussion but it is hoped that this guide provides the basic understanding for professionals as to where to proceed in the evaluation of children with ASD