Experts say screen for autism twice before age two

The American Academy of Pediatrics says children should be screened for the disorder twice before the age of two, as early intervention can lessen the severity of the symptoms.

Autism is a complex developmental disorder and the causes remain a puzzle and a controversial issue.

Autism causes problems with social interaction and communication and symptoms range from mild awkwardness to severe disability and mental retardation; delays in the development of communication skills are often are an early warning sign.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as many as one in every 150 U.S. children has autism or an autism spectrum disorder, such as Asperger's syndrome.

In two separate reports published this week experts advise parents to watch for symptoms such as babies four month old who do not smile at the sound of a parents' voice, do not babble or point or make other gestures by 12 months, use no single words by 16 months, no two-word phrases by 24 months and show a regression or loss of language or social skills at any age.

Dr. Scott Myers, a pediatrician and specialist in neurodevelopment was involved in the two clinical reports designed to help pediatricians identify and manage autism and he says children who start treatment earlier do better in the long term.

The pediatricians recommend early treatment of at least 25 hours of intensive behavior-based therapy each week throughout the year which includes education-based and fun activities in order to improve a child's chances for effective treatment.

They also suggest pediatricians familiarize themselves with and consider alternative and complementary approaches to treatment.

Dr. Cynthia Johnson, director of the Autism Center at the Children's Hospital Pittsburgh says pediatricians need to be aware of the alternatives in order to help parents make treatment decisions based on scientific evidence.

Dr. Johnson says if families feel dismissed by their doctor, they may not disclose all the treatments they are trying.

The pediatricians also say that not all children with potential symptoms will be suffering from autism and parents should not overreact.

Both reports emphasise the need for pediatricians and parents to understand which issues they need to be concerned about.

The experts say if autism is suspected parents should not wait for a specialist to confirm the diagnosis before seeking treatment for the specific symptoms.

These are the second renewed guidelines issued by the academy as a result of increased awareness from their earlier efforts in 2001.

In 2006 they called for autism screening during regular doctor visits for all children at the age of 18 months and 24 months.

The guidelines are published in the journal Pediatrics and on the group's Web site at http://www.aap.org.