Autism researchers in Melbourne are developing the world’s most effective early screening tools for children

Screening tools developed by Australian researchers have proven to be the most effective tools in the world for diagnosing children with autism spectrum disorders.

The average age for autism diagnosis in Australia is 4-5 years, but the SACS tool developed at Latrobe University in Melbourne reduces the average age at diagnosis by more than half to 21 months.

Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro, who developed the tool as part of his PhD 15 years ago, said the diagnosis gave families more access to support, services and treatments.

“It means that the outcome of their development is improved, their cognition and language are improved, and they also have greater participation in school education,” said Dr. Barbaro.

Findings from a five-year study of more than 13,500 Victorian children published in the JAMA Open Medical Journal found that tools are the world’s most effective method of diagnosing autism in young children. did.

Ayoub Ayoub was identified as at high risk of autism using the SACS tool at 15 months and was formally diagnosed at 22 months.

His mother, Shafika Beljawi, said she was familiar with the diagnosis because members of her family lived with autism.

Early on, she noticed signs of “lack of affection” and delays in achieving milestones.

“I first talked to a few experts when he was very young, and they were probably reluctant to take it seriously because he was young,” she said.

“In the end, I crossed a great pediatrician, and she heard my concerns, and then we went to La Trove University, and support was downhill from there, it was It was great.

“When the ball started rolling, I heard a voice and felt that people were taking it seriously.”

Berjaoui said the availability of funding for speech therapy, psychology and occupational therapy made a big difference in getting a diagnosis.

“I was relieved. It solidified my concerns, made it more realistic, and made the support he needed available,” she said.

“He has grown into a very kind young giant.”

The tool identifies 96 percent of children at preschool age

All Victorian children attending regular health screenings at 12, 18, and 24 months after the Victoria State Government funded training for maternal and child health nurses in 2019 already use the SACS-R tool. Being screened.

The added SACS-Preschool tool can be used in a 3.5 year health examination to increase the effectiveness of the identification process. However, training for that is not currently funded in Victoria.

This tool is used not only in some other parts of Australia, but also in 10 other countries, including Nepal and Bangladesh, but with additional funding, it may be more widely deployed.

Dr. Barbaro said the tool would include training the mother’s child’s health nurse or general practitioner to use the checklist when the child attends a regular appointment.

“Each check has about 12 to 15 behaviors, but we focus on the five major behaviors that most predict the diagnosis of autism. These behaviors include the use of eye contact in children, It involves imitating, observing the response to the name. Engaging in a social smile, “Dr. Barbaro said.

“Unless they have identified a problem with the child’s development, we have not added additional time to the nurse’s check or the general practitioner’s check.”

If a child is identified as having a high likelihood of autism, he or she will be referred to the Latrobe University team for autism assessment.

“Of all the children identified as likely with this tool, 83% will be diagnosed when they are identified as infants or toddlers,” said Dr. Barbaro.

“By preschool age, we use these tools to pick up 96 percent of all children in the autism spectrum.”

She said she used this tool to identify an 11-month-old child.

“If you are an expert in this field and your child’s presentation is very clear, you can make a diagnosis in 12 months, but most people will wait 18-24 months for the diagnosis.” She said.

“We diagnosed many children by 18 months, but some are younger, but it’s important to identify these children as early as 11 months and start the diagnostic process as soon as possible. To be able to do it. “