Screening and identification in pediatric primary care.

Sasson (2006) wrote a story-style review about quick behavior checklists used in regular kid check-ups. The paper lists tools like the Pediatric Symptom Checklist and Ages & Stages Social-Emotional form.

No new kids were tested. The author simply pulled together what other teams had said about each tool.

The review says these short screens can catch early signs of emotional or behavior trouble during a 10-minute well visit.

No numbers or wins were reported. The paper is a map, not a scoreboard.

Goodwin et al. (2012) zooms in on autism screens at 18 and 24 months, building on the same idea but for one disorder and one age window.

Grigore et al. (2024) later looked at every solid study and says we still lack proof that ASD screening in toddlers leads to better lives. This seems to clash with the upbeat tone of Sasson (2006), but the gap is method: Sasson (2006) is a friendly tour, while Grigore used strict systematic rules.

Matson et al. (2008) gave real data on the STAT tool for kids under two, showing it works better after 14 months. That study gives teeth to one of the tools Sasson (2006) only named.

You can hand the PSC or ASQ:SE form to parents in the lobby and score it before the doctor walks in. If the screen flags a concern, you now have a paper trail that speeds your referral to ABA or mental-health services. Keep the list of tools in your clinic binder and update it when new evidence, like Grigore et al. (2024), urges caution for certain ages.