In 2007 the Center for Disease Control’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM) found that 1 in 150 8 year olds in different parts of the country have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Years ago autism was believed to occur in 4 to 5 per 10,000. This means that the prevalence of autism has increased to epidemic proportions in the last several years. This is the reason why every parent needs to be educated about autism screening tools, in case their child is showing signs of autism. This article will discuss 2 autism screening tools that I find are most effective in diagnosing autism.
Autism is a complex developmental disability that usually appears during the first three years of a child’s life. It is defined by a unique set of behaviors and is considered a “spectrum disorder.” What this means is that a child can have different symptoms that go across a spectrum.
Autism is often diagnosed by physicians, health care workers, or special education personnel. Two effective screening tools to diagnose autism are the CHAT which stands for the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, and the CARS which stands for the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Both will be discussed now, as well as who can use these tools to diagnose autism.
1. CHAT Checklist for Autism in Toddlers is a short questionnaire which is filled out by the parents and a primary health care worker (usually the child’s Doctor). The CHAT is recommended to be given to all children at their 18 month check up. The Chat consists of two sections: the first nine items are questions answered by the parents and the last five items are observations made by the primary health care worker.
These items look at behaviors which if absent at 18 months, put a child at risk for a social-communication disorder. These behaviors are: a. joint attention, including pointing to show and looking to where a parent is pointing, and b. pretend play. The items are then scored, and a determination of pass or fail is given. Children who fail are rescreened in one month, and if they fail again should be referred to a specialty Dr. or Clinic for further testing.
2. CARS Childhood Autism Rating Scale is a 15 item behavior Rating Scale that helps to identify children with Autism and to distinguish them from other children with a disability. Professionals such as physicians, special educators (after age 3), school psychologists, speech pathologists and audiologists who have had only minimal exposure to Autism, can easily be trained to use the CARS. This is one of the reasons that I like it so much, it does not take lengthy training before use.
Each of the 15 items covers a particular characteristic, ability, or behavior. The person performing the CARS will ask the parents questions. based on the 15 items. The parents answers will be used to give the child a score.
Children who score above a given point are categorized as having autism.
The CARS also gives a determination if the child has mild, moderate, or severe autism, based on the child’s score on the CARS. This is a wonderful bonus for parents because it helps them understand what their child’s needs are related to having autism.
By understanding what effective autism screening tools are available, parents will be able to ask their Doctor to use one of the screening tools, if they are concerned. If your child fails either of these tests, you should take them to a specialty clinic or physician, who is experienced in treating children with autism. They should order a complete battery of tests to determine what your child’s strengths and weaknesses are, as well as what special education services they need. Do not take these screening tools in lieu of further testing, but it will help you get started. Good Luck!
By: JoAnn Collins
Posts Tagged ‘Education Personnel’
2 Autism Screening Tools That Every Parent Should Know About!
March 12th, 2010How Do I Know If My Child Has A Learning Disability?
February 4th, 2010
Are you the parent of a child that is struggling with reading, writing, or math? Have you been told by special education personnel that your child does not need to be tested for a learning disability? This article will discuss signs and symptoms of learning disabilities.
The National Center on Learning Disabilities has a checklist that is available to help you determine if your child has a learning disability. The checklist is separated into 8 categories: Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Language, Reading, Written Language, Social/Emotional, Attention, and a category called other.
Below are some of the things that are on the checklist:
1. Has trouble with buttons, hooks, snaps, zippers and trouble learning to tie shoes.
2. Demonstrates poor ability to color or write within the lines.
3. Grasps pencil awkwardly.
4. Demonstrates early delays in learning to speak.
5. Mis- nounces words frequently.
6. Confuses similar looking letters and numbers.
7. Has difficulty recognizing and remembering sight words.
8. Has trouble naming letters.
9. Avoids writing and copying.
10. Uses uneven spacing between letters and symbols.
11. Spells poorly.
NCLD states that the more characteristics that you check the more likely that your child is at risk of having a learning disability.
Susan Barton of Bright Solutions also has Warning Signs of Dyslexia. These signs, are a lot of the same signs, mentioned previously from the National Center on Learning Disabilities. Delayed speech, difficulty with hand writing and shoe tying, slow inaccurate reading, difficulty with spelling, poor pencil grasp, guesses letters based on shape and context.
Susan Barton also includes these warning signs for Dyslexia, which is a specific type of learning disability:
1. Left Right Confusion
2. Difficulty Learning Confusion
3.Auditory Processing Delays
4. Letter or number reversals
5. Difficulty telling time with hand clock
6. Trouble with Math
7. Messy bedroom, backpack, desk
8. Poor Written Expression
9. Limited Vocabulary.
If your child has a lot of these characteristics you might want to go the NCLD web site and down load the Learning Disabilities Checklist. Fill it out for your child, and send a copy to school personnel. Ask for your child to receive psychological testing to determine if they have a learning disability.
By: JoAnn Collins
Parenting Tips – What is Applied Behavioral Analysis and Can it Treat My Child With Autism?
January 26th, 2010
Are you the parent of a young child with autism? Did you know that
there is a behavioral treatment for autism, called applied behavioral
analysis (ABA)? This article will educate you about ABA, so that you
can advocate special education personnel for this effective therapy.
Applied behavioral analysis is a well documented and effective
teaching method for many children with autism. This method involves 1
on 1 instructional sessions and utilizes educational tasks that have
been developed for autism.
This method was designed by O.I. Lovaas. His study in 1987, in
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology showed “90% of children
substantially improved when utilizing the Lovaas Model of ABA compared
to the control. Close to half of the group attained a normal IQ and
tested with in the normal range on adaptive and social skills.”
Several follow up studies also showed major improvements in most
children with autism, that have received ABA.
For ABA to be most effective the child needs to start as close to age
3 as possible, or at least by age 5. The ABA program needs to be 1 on
one for 30-40 hours per week. The child should continue receiving the
intense ABA program, for at least 3-4 years. The cost is high,
$30-50,000 per year. This is why many parents set up the program at
home, and seek reimbursement from their school district. Check out ABA
caselaw at http://www.wrightslaw.com
While some states have passed autism specific private insurance
mandates, only three states specifically require payment for ABA.
These states are: South Carolina, Texas, and Indiana. Florida has
pending legislation as of April 24, 2008.
It is critical that the person that designs the program is a
professional in behavior analysis with a masters or doctorate degree.
This person should also have experience in working with children with
autism. This person is also responsible for supervising the teacher
assistants, training and meeting with them to go over your child’s
progress.
A wonderful book on ABA is “Behavior Intervention for Young Children
With Autism” which is edited by Catherine Maurice and Co edited by
Gina Green and Stephen C. Luce.
There are many organizations that have information on Autism and
Applied Behavioral Analysis. Some of these organizations are: Defeat
Autism Now, Cure Autism Now, and Autism Speaks.
By understanding what ABA is, how it can be used to treat children
with autism, the positive outcome for most children receiving it, you
will be able to advocate for your own child. It may be a fight with
special education personnel, but your child is worth it!
By: JoAnn Collins
