A simple online survey can diagnose autism with up to 95 percent accuracy, one study suggests.
Researchers have developed a 39-item questionnaire to help parents navigate a notoriously tricky diagnosis process.
It’s the latest promising development in autism screening, just days after officials began the approval process for a test that detects the disorder in hair.
The new Autism Symptom Dimension Questionnaire (ASDQ) – to be completed by parents or carers – asks questions about the child’s behavior and how it responds to social cues. But parents are still strongly advised to seek the advice of a doctor.
A simple online survey can diagnose autism with up to 95 percent accuracy, one study suggests (file image)
They include how often the child is expected to make eye contact, play with peers, seem overly sensitive to loud noises, and take things too literally.
Parents are asked to choose from a range of five ratings that indicate how often their child engages in such behavior.
Researchers at John Carroll University in Ohio described the study as a “great advance” in the diagnosis of autism.
They claimed the test was between 55 and 95 percent accurate in detecting autism, depending on how severe the child’s symptoms were, and was reliable for age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
The study looked at 1,467 children ages two to 17, including 104 with autism. The results have been published in the journal Developmental medicine and pediatric neurology.
In addition to screening for autism, the test can also track and track autism symptoms over time.
About one in 44 children in the US has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a number that continues to rise as the disorder is destigmatized.
However, despite scientific and societal progress, ASD is still often diagnosed only in childhood.
While the average age of diagnosis in the US is four years, in the UK it is even older, at six years.
Because there is no standard test for the condition, doctors must rely on a child’s developmental history and behavior.
But experts say early intervention can make a huge difference, with early detection essential to ensure children on the spectrum get the help they need.
To receive an official diagnosis, children still need to go to a trained professional, but the ASDQ questionnaire is another step toward a standardized test for autism.
Screenings for ASD are advised at the 18-month and 24-month milestones, tracking the child’s language, movement and thinking skills, as well as behavior and emotions, compared to the rest of their age group.
However, formal diagnosis should be made by a trained specialist, such as a pediatrician or child psychologist.
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