10.7: Identifying Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Page ID
- 178865
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Diagnosing ASD can be difficult because there are no medical tests (e.g., blood tests) that are used to diagnose the disorder. A medical professional examines a child’s developmental history and behavior to make a diagnosis. By age two, a diagnosis by an experienced medical professional is considered reliable. However, many children do not receive a diagnosis until they are much older, which delays their ability to access appropriate special education and related services.
Medical professionals should monitor a child’s development at well-child visits and screen children for ASD at 18 and 24 months (American Association of Pediatrics, 2021). Screening instruments are designed to help identify young children who warrant further attention. One example is the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F, Robins et al., 2009). With its use, medical professionals classify a child’s risk of having autism as low, medium, or high based on caregivers’ answers to 20 questions (Smiley et al., 2022).
At these visits, medical professionals should also be asking caregivers about typical developmental milestones, or skills that most children reach by a certain age. The CDC has developed a collection of resources on their Learn the Signs. Act Early. web page, which outlines typical developmental milestones and includes an app that helps caregivers monitor their child’s development.
For a medical professional or psychologist to make a diagnosis, specific criteria must be met (see the APA definition). Additional medical screening may also be required to exclude other developmental disabilities or conditions such as communication disorders, hearing impairment, or intellectual disability. In addition, specific tests have been designed to identify ASD, including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (Lord et al., 2012), and the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised (Rutter et al., 2003). However, the tests that are used depend on the child’s age. While many students with ASD are identified before they begin school, educators and clinicians play a significant role in identifying ASD and supporting students with ASD, which may include but is not limited to special education, speech and language instruction, occupational therapy, and physical therapy (Smiley et al., 2022).
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2021, April 20). Autism spectrum disorder. https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/autism/
Smiley, L. R., Richards, S.B., & Taylor, R. (2022). Exceptional students: Preparing teachers for the 21st century (4th ed.). McGraw Hill.
Lord, C., Rutter, M., DiLavore, P., & Risi, S. (2012). Autism diagnostic observation schedule (2nd ed.). Pearson.
Rutter, M., LeConteur, A., & Lord, C. (2003). The autism diagnostic manual, revised. Western Psychological Services.
Smiley, L. R., Richards, S.B., & Taylor, R. (2022). Exceptional students: Preparing teachers for the 21st century (4th ed.). McGraw Hill.