Autism is not something that can be diagnosed with a finger poke at the doctor’s office, instead it has to be examined by a medical professional. This includes looking at the individual’s developmental history, and behavior, and usually involves interviews from a loved one/caregiver to make an official diagnosis of ASD. Early intervention is going to be the best-case scenario when working with ASD, it can impact their access to services and supports, which will further influence the outcome of their futures.

Here are some screening tools for ASD, but a screening tool can not be used as a diagnosis. You must follow up with a professional to be diagnosed.

-Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, revised (M-CHAT-R): Used for ages 16 to 30 months. It is a parent completed questionnaire with twenty questions about your child’s behavior.

-Social Attention and Communication Surveillance, Revised (SACS-R) and SACS- Preschool (SACS-PR) Tools : Used for ages 12 to 60 months. This is used to identify behaviors that have characteristics of children on the spectrum.

-Social Challenges Screening Questionnaire (SCSQ)-Used for school aged children. This is developed to be taken by parents, and educators and can be used to identify symptoms similar to the prior known condition of Asperger Syndrome.

-Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) Test: Used for ages 16 +. It is a self-administered 50 question questionnaire that measures autistic traits of people with an IQ over 80.

It can take a long time to get an official diagnosis with someone who is qualified. When warning signs start showing, even if you are unsure, you should start reaching out to get your loved one on waiting lists for an appointment.