The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for ASD at the 18- and 24-months using autism-specific formal screening tests.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children be screened for ASD at the 18- and 24-months using autism-specific formal screening tests.^[1][2]

Screening tools for ASD include:^[3]

• Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT)
• The Early Screening of Autistic Traits Questionnaire
• The First Year Inventory; initial data on M-CHAT and its predecessor CHAT.

Following signs emphasizes the screening of a child for ASD without delay:

• No babbling by 12 months.
• No gesturing (pointing, waving goodbye, etc.) by 12 months.
• No single words by 16 months.
• No two-word spontaneous phrases (not including echolalia) by 24 months.
• Any loss of any language or social skills, at any age.