The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The current prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an urgent public health concern (1). The point prevalence of parent-reported diagnosis of ASD is 110 per 10,000 children (2). Reliable diagnostic instruments are available for the identification of ASD in children as young as two years old; however, there is a gap between the ages of possible and actual ASD identification (3) and children may miss out on important early intervention services (4). Intense and specific early intervention leads to improved outcomes for children with ASD (5,6). Therefore, increased efforts should be made to identify children with ASD as early as possible to insure appropriate care (7, 1). Referrals for early intervention services are sometimes made by physicians within the context of well-child visits (4); however, referral to early intervention programs can be made by anyone, including parents, teachers, daycare providers, therapists, and other early intervention providers (5). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), physicians should conduct developmental screening at 9-, 18-, and 24(30)-month well-child visits. Autism-specific screening should occur at 18- and 24-month visits regardless of the type of concern (typical or atypical). Physicians are to follow these guidelines for screening and to make referrals to the early intervention system when warranted (8,9). While much of the literature about autism screening emphasizes the role of the physician in screening and diagnosis, there are far fewer studies investigating physicians’ referral to early intervention programs when a child has failed an autism specific screening. Furthermore, little is known about autism specific screening practices of early intervention providers. In response to the evidence suggesting that ASD is prevalent and that outcomes improve with early intervention services, a survey was designed to better understand screening and referral practices observed by service coordinators who work for Part C early intervention programs. The survey included questions about referrals from physicians and early intervention providers for children that failed autism specific screening, the type of instruments used to perform screening and barriers to autism specific screening. Preliminary findings suggest that autism specific screening is not a part of routine practice for early intervention providers. While service coordinators receive referrals from physicians and early intervention providers for a child that has failed an autism specific screening, they identified increased training as an intervention to increase screening in early intervention settings.

Competencies

Knowledge base, Critical Thinking, Communication, Family-centered care, Interdisciplinary team building, working with community and systems