When can autism be diagnosed?

"Autistic spectrum disorders can normally be diagnosed at around the age of 2 years. If you feel there is a possibility that your child has an autistic spectrum disorder, you should go to your GP, i.e. General Practitioner/ family doctor, and request that they refer your child to a consultant or diagnostic team with a good understanding of the condition."

- Nye, Andrew, e.d. (2000). The Autism Handbook. London: The National Autistic Society.

"It is very important that you are persistent if you really think there is a problem with your child. If you are still concerned about your child after consulting a doctor, then consider asking for a second opinion [elsewhere]. Do not let people convince you that your child ‘will grow out of it’."

- Green, Gill (2000). My Child Has Autism – A Parent’s Guide. Singapore: Autism Resource Centre (Singapore).

Why does diagnosis usually take place only at 2 years of age (and above)?

Author Uta Frith notes in "Autism – Explaining the Enigma" that "if something wrong is noticed [in a child] very early [during infancy], it often turns out to be a false alarm." She qualifies that by saying, "When the child is very young, the possibility of developmental delay, with the possibility of catching up some time in the future, must always be considered." Furthermore, "lack of social and emotional responsiveness is widespread in non-autistic but mentally challenged children. Even in otherwise normal children, there can be transient problems in social development."

Author Francesca Happé goes further and says in "Autism – an introduction to psychological theory", "a reliable diagnosis of autism is rare before the age of 3 or 4 years. This is primarily because the types of behaviours which are impaired in autism (according to the diagnostic criteria mentioned above) do not emerge reliably in normal children until this age. However, in recent years there has been increasing interest in the possibility of pinpointing earlier indicators of autism…in the hope that very early intervention might have a stronger remedial effect. (However, it is far from clear, as yet, what form this intervention should take.)...[and] in order to explore the nature of this primary deficit, and the causal directions in development."

Will a diagnosis help?

"From the experience of [the National Autistic Society (London)’s] Autism Helpline, very many people with autistic spectrum disorders and their families benefit from having an official diagnosis of their condition. Having an explanation for the problems that the person has been experiencing can bring a sense of relief both for the parent, and sometimes for the person themselves, particularly those at the more able end of the spectrum. It also provides them with the ammunition to argue for the most appropriate services.

There are some occasions where people would prefer not to have a formal diagnosis. Sometimes this is because a parent feels that their child will be able to make greatest progress if they do not think of themselves as having a disability. We also know of adults who suspect that they may be mildly autistic but would prefer not to be formally diagnosed. For such people, knowing what is the possible cause of their problems seems to be enough."

- Nye, Andrew, e.d. (2000). The Autism Handbook. London: The National Autistic Society.