Current status of differential diagnosis for children with autism spectrum disorders.

Matson (2007) wrote a narrative review about diagnosing autism in preschoolers. The paper looked at what tools doctors were using to tell autism apart from other conditions.

The review focused on children under age five. It described how diagnosis methods were changing but still needed work, especially for kids younger than three.

The study found that autism diagnosis tools were evolving. But clinicians still lacked reliable methods to confidently diagnose children under three years old.

The paper showed that better assessment tools were needed for early differential diagnosis in preschoolers.

Hartwell et al. (2025) updates this work by mapping 37 autism screening tools. Their scoping review directly answers Matson (2007)'s call for better tools by checking sensitivity, specificity, and digital access.

Meimei et al. (2022) extends the conversation to telehealth. They found remote autism screening can work with good sensitivity, offering a new way to reduce wait times that Matson (2007) couldn't address.

Sutherland et al. (2025) provides hard data on telehealth diagnosis. Their study achieved 90% agreement between remote and in-person assessments for toddlers as young as 24 months, proving the technology Matson (2007) anticipated actually works.

This 2007 review set the stage for today's autism assessment tools. You now have 37+ screening options, telehealth methods that match in-person accuracy, and biomarker research in progress. When choosing assessment tools for your preschool clients, check Hartwell et al. (2025)'s criteria first. Consider telehealth options from Meimei et al. (2022) for families facing long waitlists. The field has moved far beyond the limited tools available in 2007, giving you more options for early and accurate diagnosis.