The Pros And Cons Of ASD Screening

Introduction and Significance
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (2016), “autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the name for a group of developmental disorders. ASD includes a wide range, ‘a spectrum,’ of symptoms, skills, and levels of disability” (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Definition). Autism is characterized by an assortment of disabilities, from cognitive, language, and behavioral deficits to impairments in social interaction. Currently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (2006) recommends that autism screening and diagnosis take place in a two-step process. The first step is a universal developmental screening that takes place at well baby visits (WBV) at set intervals. If this screening raises areas of concern the

Gray and Tonge (2004) reveals that children with ASD may develop signs and symptoms in early infancy, but the diagnoses of ASD does not occur until the child reaches the age of four to seven. Step one of ASD screening has several limitations, with one being that the AAP does not have a widely recommended screening tool, which leaves the healthcare provider to choose a tool they feel is best. While this may seem beneficial, there are currently more than eleven screening tools to select from, and each one has its own set of strengths and limitations (Zwaigenbaum et al., 2015). Additionally, Oosterling et al., (2010) found that when healthcare providers received training in the use of screening tools, earlier detection could be made, but since there has yet to be a widely recommended tool that stands above the rest, providing training to healthcare providers would be virtually impossible. Furthermore, research by Charman and Gotham (2013) suggests that these tools often lack the ability to detect children with ASD who have average or higher than average skills in language and cognitive abilities, leaving them with an even further delayed diagnosis. A delay in diagnosis means a delay in treatment and services

Given the prevalence of ASD, this raises concerns for many families. Oosterling et al., (2010) found that “although many parents of children with autism spectrum disorders are concerned about the social and communicative development of their child at an early age, ASD generally remains undiagnosed until late preschool years or thereafter” (p.250). Although the AAP suggests using a screening tool to detect ASD, there has yet to be a tool developed that can overcome limitations such as, the availability to use the tool prior to 16 months of age, equal results for children from homes where healthcare is limited, low level of parental education, and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) families, which result in difficulties completing parent questionnaires (Samango-Sprouse et al., 2015). Early detection and diagnosis are important as it allows for early intervention, which has numerous benefits including prevention of secondary symptoms, fiscal savings, reduced parental stress, and improved long-term outcomes (Koegel, Koegel, Ashbaugh, & Bradshaw, 2014). Without the application of early screenings, a child can be drastically affected because this can lead to missed or delayed diagnosis of ASD and a postponement of