Early Detection of Autism in the Population

Frequently there is a delay in the diagnosis of autism in children which may result in a lost opportunity to provide early intervention. Signal detection studies have suggested that single items have good predictability for autism which suggests simple screening procedures may be helpful in the early detection of an autistic disorder. Studies of autism in the very young have found that specific social deficits appear to characterize this group. A three stage procedure is presented as a possible approach to detect autism at an early age in the population thereby allowing for early intervention