Diagnosis of autism

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7413.488

BMJ 2003;327:488-493 (30 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7413.488

Clinical review

Diagnosis of autism

Gillian Baird, consultant developmental paediatrician¹, Hilary Cass, consultant in paediatric disability², Vicky Slonims, principal specialist speech and language therapist¹

¹ Newcomen Centre, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, London SE1 9RT, ² Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, London

Correspondence to: G Baird gillian.baird@gstt.sthames.nhs.uk

Parents want autism to be diagnosed as early as possible, andearly intervention may improve long term outcomes. The authorsof this review discuss the identification and assessment processfor children with autism and autistic spectrum disorder

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

Autistic spectrum disorders have been the subject of increasingattention over the past few years—from the media, fromclinicians, and from the general public. Stories of savantswho excel in such skills as calendar calculations and detaileddrawings have long been a fascination to public and clinicianalike, exemplified in Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of a youngman with autism in the film Rainman. Most recently, publicanxiety about autism has been raised as a result of reportslinking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine withautism and inflammatory bowel disorder and a rise in the prevalenceof autism.^{1
2} This has resulted in a serious fall in immunisation rates,³ despite the epidemiological evidence of a lack of association,⁴ and strong reassurance from the Department ofHealth and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Healthabout the safety of the MMR vaccine. Parents of children withautism continue to . . . [Full text of this article]

What is autism?

Is autism increasing in prevalence?

Identification of autism

Regression

Assessment process

What happens after assessment?

Evaluation of intervention

Ongoing care

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