- Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule
- Physical Characteristics of Autism
- Diagnosing Children With Autism
- Autism Developmental Stages
- Criteria for Autism in the DSM-V
- Symptoms of Mild Autism
- How Autism Is Detected in Infants
- Dealing with a Diagnosis of Autism
- Childhood Autism Rating Scale
- Diagnosing Adults with Autism
- Signs of Autism by Age
- Shared Symptoms of Autism and Mental Retardation
Browse Articles in Diagnosing Autism
Diagnosing autism and related pervasive developmental disorders is a crucial aspect of getting necessary treatment and interventions. This site is a trusted resource that can help you learn how to identify the signs of autism, find out how the condition is diagnosed, and provide you with additional information about what a diagnosis means.
Diagnosis Concerns
Discover important facts about the signs, symptoms and physical characteristics of autism by age group, along with the diagnosis process.
Age-Related Differences
Autism can be diagnosed in both children and adults, though the signs may vary by age.
- Children: If you suspect that your infant, toddler or older child may have autism, knowing the early symptoms and signs can be helpful, as can learning about the childhood autism rating scale.
- Adults: It's not only children who can be diagnosed with autism. Find out about the symptoms of adult autism and learn how it can be diagnosed. Discover what to do if you are wondering if you might have autism.
Diagnosis Tools
Many different tools can be used in the diagnosis process to determine if the criteria for autism are met.
- Checklist: A simple checklist can be helpful in documenting behaviors that could be indicators of autism.
- Questionnaire: Learn how medical professionals use screening questionnaires in the diagnosis process.
- Medical technology: Find out how medical advances such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can play a role in the diagnostic process.
Dealing with a Diagnosis
If autism is diagnosed, you'll need to learn how to deal with the diagnosis, something that may involve a period of grief for concerned, frightened parents. The information provided here can help you understand and make peace with what the diagnosis really means so that you can make wise decisions as you move forward.
Related Conditions
Other conditions may sometimes manifest themselves in similar ways. Enhance your knowledge base by learning about related conditions such as pervasive development disorder not-otherwise-specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger's syndrome.
Also find out about shared symptoms of autism and mental retardation. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to provide the support that your child needs, as well as to educate others about autism and its effects.
Keep Up with Advancements
The autism community is growing every day and so is the knowledge base. The expert writers and editors who create content for this site strive to provide the latest information available about the process of detecting autism. Visit the site regularly, as the editorial team updates and adds new content on a regular basis.