Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is typically diagnosed via behavioral observation of a child. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends that children undergo a “level one” screening at their 18- and 24-month well visits. If that screening, which involves questions about a child’s communicative and social behaviors, raises a concern about ASD, the child is usually referred to a specialist who can conduct more formal assessments.

What’s New: On August 15, 2015, the Journal of Pediatrics published a study detailing a new screening tool for toddlers. The researchers administered the ten-minute, play-based test, called Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T) to a total of 61 toddlers, including 42 with developmental concerns established by a level one screening. RITA-T was 88 percent accurate in predicting the 23 ASD diagnoses ultimately made through formal diagnostic tests.

Why it’s important: RITA-T has the potential to become a useful “level two” screening tool for clinicians, helping to weed out the false positives generated by level one screenings and allowing for earlier diagnosis and intervention.

Screening Tools for Infants

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