In the first large-scale, randomized trial of its kind, researchers from the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute found that routine, standardized autism screening during toddler well visits significantly improves early detection — even for children whose symptoms are subtle or easily missed.
The findings could better align policies and guidelines to support the use of routine, standardized autism screening for all children at toddler well visits, rather than relying on non-standardized screenings or clinicians’ judgment for identifying children with autism.
“This resulted in 186 children referred to a diagnostic evaluation — and their average age was 20.6 months, compared to 39 children with an average age of 23.6 months referred by practices in the usual care group,” explains Giacomo Vivanti, an associate professor in the Autism Institute and lead author of the study.
“The earlier identification of autism allows for autism-specific early intervention at a younger age, which improves outcomes across the rest of their lives,” says Diana Robins, director of the Autism Institute and principal investigator in the study. DM
