A five-minute checklist filled out by parents at the one-year,
well-baby check-up has been shown to predict autism or other
developmental delays in about 75 percent of cases. This easily
implemented tool is the first validated autism screen for
infants and could help pediatricians identify autism even
earlier than the evaluations at 18 and 24 months of age
recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The screening
tool, called the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales
Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist, developed by Dr.
Amy Wetherby and colleagues, was filled out by parents in the
waiting room and took pediatricians only two minutes to review,
providing a quick way to identify young children at risk for
ASD. The study followed 137 pediatricians in San Diego County
who used the tool to screen almost 10,500 infants. About 12
percent of infants screened were flagged by the questionnaire as
at-risk for ASD and referred for further evaluation at a clinic.
The study followed 184 infants who f