Screening For Autism By Age 2

Screening For Autism By Age 2

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As a Speech-Language Pathologist having worked with children with different severities of autism, it caught my attention just how much the news/media has talked about it in recent weeks. From Dateline MSNBC to celebrities like Jenny McCarthy and Oprah. I’m sure it came back into the media limelight when recent recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest that every child be tested for autism twice by the age of 2. This recommendation seems to have brought the media coverage as well as a lot of debate on the subject.

I just wanted to give kudos to the American Academy of Pediatrics for taking on the responsibility of trying to get children screened for autism at a younger age. I have no doubt it is a very scary thing to have to tell a parent you think their child may be autistic and a much more difficult thing for a parent to hear. The good news is early screening and identification means more answers, more help and more intervention that will ultimately lead to a more successful future for that child.

Below are a few helpful resources on autism:
Autism Speaks
The Help Group
National Autism Association
American Pediatrics M-CHAT Sreening Tools
American Pediatrics M-CHAT Scoring Tool (PDF)

Heidi has been a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist since 2000. She graduated from Utah State University where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. She began her career in early intervention and eventually started her own private practice where she has worked primarily with pre-K through school age kids. She is the founder of Little Bee Speech Apps and lives in beautiful Utah with her husband and 4 children.

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