Identification of Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Second Year of Life at Day-Care Centres by Day-Care Staff: Step One in the Development of a Short Observation List.
Six quick day-care observations can spot ASD risk in toddlers before formal testing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked day-care staff to look back at toddlers they once cared for.
Staff rated six simple behaviors for kids later diagnosed with ASD and for typical kids.
The six-item list took minutes to complete using memory alone.
What they found
The short list cleanly split the two groups.
Kids who later got an ASD label scored differently on all six items.
Even brief day-care notes can flag risk as early as 12-24 months.
How this fits with other research
Fung et al. (2018) asked parents the same questions and found staff answers matched parent answers.
Together the two papers show day-care workers can act as extra eyes during screening.
Le Couteur et al. (2008) proved the ADI-R and ADOS work well for preschoolers, but those tools take hours.
The new six-item recall is faster and needs no special kit, so it can fill the gap before a full assessment.
Why it matters
You can teach day-care staff the six warning signs in one lunch break.
When a teacher notices the pattern, you get an earlier heads-up and can start services sooner.
Early action means better long-term outcomes and smoother family support.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Early symptoms of ASD develop through the second year of life, making a stable ASD diagnosis possible at 24 months of age. However, in general, children with ASD have their diagnosis at an older age. This retrospective study, including 30 children with ASD and 30 control children aged 3-6 years, explored the possibility of developing a short observation list to be used in day care settings for children 12-24 months of age. From 73 symptoms selected from published screeners and observation tools, we were able to construct a list of six symptoms that retrospectively differentiated children with ASD from typically developing children at 12-24 months of age when recalled by day-care personnel.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3489-x