title: Office screening and early identification of children with autism.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), also called pervasive developmental disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revised), constitute a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that coalesce around a common theme of impairments in social functioning, communication abilities, and repetitive or rigid behaviors. The ASDs considered here include autism/autistic disorder, Asperger disorder/Asperger syndrome (AS), and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. This article focuses on autism/autistic disorder screening and its early identification, with a brief mention for AS screening, as there are limited tools and no recommendation for universal screening for AS.
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, 740 South Limestone, KY Clinic J-454, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
authors.forename: Neelkamal S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Dilip R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D009819:Office Visits