The typical age of diagnosis in the US for Autism (not ASDs) is around
3 years of age. A new study by Landa and Garrett-Mayer at Johns
Hopkins indicates that there are certain features including language
development, joint attention, and motor skills that can be used to
identify approximately 70% of infants who later qualify for a
diagnosis of Autism. Cutting in half the age of identification could
lead to much earlier intervention and the research supports earlier
intervention as more likely to be significantly effective for the child.

Part of why you want early identification is based on the effects of
learning on the ongoing development of the brain. "The brain
development isn't just engineered by your genetics. Your experience
plays a role in your outcome," Landa says. "So if a toddler isn't
attending to social cues and develops these patterns of behavior that
make it hard to engage with others, the child isn't getting learning
opportunities. It becomes a vicious cycle. We want to disrupt this
cycle, to teach children how to engage with objects in diverse ways.
We teach them to have joint interactions with people that are rewarding."

The CHAT, a device developed in the UK and used there by Home
Healthcare Nurses when they visit the home during routine well-child
visits and parent training visits for new parents, is intended for use
at 18 months. The M-CHAT is an expanded American version of the
original CHAT from the U.K.(Baron-Cohen et al., 1992; 1996). The
M-CHAT has 23 questions using the original nine from the CHAT as its
basis. I routinely take the CHAT or M-CHAT with me to Pediatricians
offices and review its use, utility, and research support with them
when asked to speak. It can take a nurse about 3-5 minutes to
administer and is invaluable for early identification purposes.

-Robert W. Montgomery, Ph.D.
http://www.reinforcementunlimited.com

Landa, R. and Garrett-Mayer, E. Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, June 2006; vol: 47 pp. 629-638.