There is no actual test out there to tell if someone has Autism.  It is more observation

    The characteristics behaviors of Autism usually becomes obvious during early childhood (24 months to 6 years)

    The National Institue of Child Health and Human Development lists these 5 behaviors that signal further evaluation is warranted:

        1. Does not babble or coo by 12 months
        2. Does not gesture (point, wave or grasp) by 12 months
        3. Does not say single words by 16 monts
        4. Does not say two word phrases on his or her own by 24 months
        5. Has any loss of language or social skill at any age

    Having any of these 5 "symptoms" does not mean your child has sutism, but because the characteristics of the disorder vary so much, as child should have further evaluations by a multidisiplinary team, which may include, psychologist, neurologist, developmental pediatrician, learning consultant, speech/language therapist, learning consultant, or other professionals knowledgeable about autism.

    Here are some screen instruments that have been developed which helps in diagnosing Autism

    CARS rating system (childhood Autism Rating Scale) developed by Eric Schopler in the early 1970s, is based on observed behavior.  Using a 15 point scale, professionals evaluate a child's relationship to people, body use, adaptation to change, listening response and verbal communication.

    The Checklilst for Autism in Toddlers (Chat) is used to screen for autism at 18 months of age,  It was developed by Simon Baron-Cohen in the early 1990s to see if autism could be detected in children as young as 18 months.  The screening tool uses a short questionnaire with two sections, one prepared by the parents , the other by the child's family doctor.

    The Autism Screen Questionnaire is the 40 item screening scale that has been used with children four and older to help evaluate communication skills and social functioning.

    The Screening Test for Autism in Two year olds, being developed by Wendy Stone, uses direct observations to study behavioral features in children under two.  She has identified three skills areas- play, mother imination and joint attentions-that seem to indicate autism.

        

    Some information provided by: Autism Society of America, Autism Society of New Hampshire, and Fighting Autism

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