Autism spectrum disorder: Screening and diagnosis.

Abstract

As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased markedly over the past 2 decades, rising from two per 10,000 in 1990 to one in 68 children and one in 42 boys by age 8 today (Blumberg et al., 2013; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014), screening, evaluating, and diagnosing children with ASD as early as possible is important for ensuring that these children have access to the services and supports they need (CDC, 2014;Eikeseth, Smith, Jahr, & Eldevik, 2007). Diagnosis occurs when a psychologist or other professional conducts a comprehensive evaluation to determine if a child has ASD based on the criteria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth ed.