The Newly Expanded Recommendations on Autism Are Good News for Kids
Earlier and more frequent screenings are now advised to catch more children who might fall through the cracks
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that all children get screened for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at their 18- and 24-month well-child checkups. Last week, those recommendations were significantly enhanced.
The new guidelines now recommend developmental and behavioral surveillance at nine, 18, and 30 months in addition to the standardized ASD screening at 18 and 24 months.
I am hopeful that this shift will reduce the number of children who experience social, academic, and behavioral challenges but miss out on early intervention therapies because they lack an actual ASD diagnosis.
This is what happened to me.
When I was a toddler, doctors labeled me with “sensory processing issues,” but no autism diagnosis, because I didn’t display the stereotypical symptoms that were associated with ASD in the early ’80s.
These days, we know so much more about autism. We know that girls on the spectrum are frequently overlooked because the disorder often doesn’t present itself with the same traditional symptoms as seen in…
