Abstract

GUTIERREZ-RUIZ, Karaol. Early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. Acta Neurol Colomb. [online]. 2016, vol.32, n.3, pp.238-247. ISSN 0120-8748.

Early diagnosis of ASD is an area of research that has received much attention in recent years. In Colombia, institutions specializing in autism, driven by the World Autism Organization, are speaking about the need for early detection of ASD in health primary care and in educational settings. Therefore, the objective of this work is to perform a narrative review of the scientific literature on the early identification of ASD in order to recognize early indicators and approaches to screening for this condition. To do this, the electronic databases EBSCO, Medline, PsyclNFO, Scopus, ScienceDirect and Academic Search Complete were reviewed, searching the terms early detection, early diagnosis, screening test, mass screening, and combined with the term autism; unrestricted field, without temporary limit, and limited to the English and Spanish languages. Research suggests that it is possible to detect, early, the risk of ASD mainly considering initial alterations in social interaction and communication. There are different tools for screening for ASD, their psychometric properties and clinical utility are discussed.

Keywords : Autism; autism spectrum disorder; early detection; early diagnosis.

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