Madrid
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SACS-R may be the world’s first highly accurate tool to detect autism spectrum disorder from 12 months of age, thus enabling earlier therapy and better integration.
An investigation, published in «
Jama Open», carried out over five years with more than 13,500 children from Victoria (Australia) has revealed that the SACS-R is extremely accurate in identifying very young children on the autism spectrum.
Developed by researchers at
La Trobe University (Australia)is already used in 11 countries.
The study data shows that 83% of infants and toddlers between 12 and 24 months were successfully diagnosed thanks to the SACS-Preschool screening and that 96% of children on the autism spectrum were identified at their 3-year screening, 5 years.
The principal investigator, Josephine Barbarothe
Olga Tennison Autism Research Center from
LaTrobe Universitystated that the research responds to the critical need for the SACS-R and the SACS-Preschool spread across Australia and the world, as part of regular baby check-ups.
“Parents are often told to ‘wait and see’ when they are concerned about their child’s development. This means that the average age of diagnosis is around four or five years, which means that opportunities for early support are lost, “he adds. Barbaro.
“The objective is put this tool in the hands of a trained primary care health professional, so that autism screening is also done during their routine health check-ups, and this makes a huge difference in getting an early diagnosis.”
For Barbaro, “the SACS-R is not only the most effective screening tool in the world, but, unlike many others, it can be used in the community in large populations, which allows early identification of very young children in all the domains.”
The tool is used to identify a set of behaviors characteristic of children on the spectrum from 11 months of age, such as the infrequent or inconsistent use of gestures when greeting and pointing to objects; the answer to the call of his name; eye contact; imitating or copying the activities of others; sharing interest with others, or pretend play.
All the children of this australian state who attend a routine health check at 12, 18 and 24 months are already examined with the SACS-R tool, after the Victorian Government funded in 2019 the state-level training of maternal and child health nurses.
The added SACS-Preschool tool can be used in the 3.5 year health check to increase the efficiency of the identification process, although steppe training is not yet funded in Victoria.
The Vice Chancellor of La Trobe, Professor John Dewar AO, stated that the screening tool is an excellent example of high-impact research that can make a tangible difference in people’s lives. He added: “Early identification of autism using this tool has already changed the lives of thousands of children and their families around the world.”
Early diagnosis of autism is essential, as it allows earlier access to supports, services and therapies. It improves developmental outcomes, increases participation in mainstream schooling, and reduces the supports needed as children get older.
The accuracy of autism screening tools used in other parts of the world is very limited, including the well-known M-CHATwhich has an accuracy level of only 6% when used on a population.