Researchers have established developmental screening tools that can be used to assess whether a school-age or older child needs to be referred to an expert for additional diagnostic testing.

Key Points

• SCQ is a parental questionnaire with 40 yes-or-no items.
• ASSQ is a 27-item, yes/somewhat/no-style questionnaire meant to assess the symptoms characteristic of high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in children and adolescents.
• The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST), also known as the Childhood Asperger Screening Test, detects Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in 5- to 11-year-old children by using a parental questionnaire to measure social andcommunication skills.

Misconception

To have autism spectrum disorder, a child must be diagnosed within the first couple years of life.

Fact

Many children are not diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder until after four years of age. Screening tools for school-age children are an important piece of the doctor's screening and diagnostic toolbox.