The incidence of Autism on the rise growing at an alarming rate. I have come across several children, who were diagnosed with the Autism (ASD) much later in their life, as challenges faced by these kids in relation to learning, social or emotional difficulties went undiagnosed. This is alarming as a delayed Autism Diagnosis deprives a child with the available early interventions which could really alter the quality of life.

Causes of Autism Diagnosis Delay
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder and as a society, we are still learning about it. What makes it much more difficult to diagnose is that there are no medical tests, like a blood test for Autism. There are several probable causes for it. Some say it is genetic and others say it has a biochemical origin. Whatever may be the cause, no two children with autism have identical symptoms. Their severity varies and that is why autism is a spectrum.

Low Awareness & Understanding Of Autism
During my interaction with parents, I have seen that a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is generally diagnosed/identified in the age group of 18 months to 5 years. We believe anything after 30 months is delayed diagnosis, as parents themselves take anything between 6-12 months to come to terms with such a diagnosis.

Accepting Autism Diagnosis Is Difficult For Parents
Once parents hear this diagnosis, they are incomplete disbelief and at times, hardly have heard of Autism before in their life. Most health practitioners and parents mistakenly club it with mental retardation, which makes acceptance even more difficult. This diagnosis is followed by denial and finally, they start to search more about it. Once the search is over and they accept the diagnosis, the most painful period starts when they start to look for resources, which are scarce and expensive.

Even In USA Early Intervention Gets Delayed
In countries like the USA, once a child is diagnosed with Autism, he might not immediately start getting government support in the form of early intervention as he might be wait-listed. What it means is that by the time he gets any support he already might be 4-5 years old.

India Is Way Behind In Terms Of Support Structure
In India, the situation is much worse. Paediatricians in India further lag behind their global counterparts in their ability to accurately discover and diagnose ASD. Therefore in India, a child is mostly diagnosed after 30 months of age. At the same time, there is no government support and most of the facilities for Autism are in the private sector with exorbitant fee. And even if parents are able to cough up such a fee they are not satisfied with the support they get.

Methods to Diagnose Autism
With appropriate screening (screening here means to identify if a child is at risk of Autism) and diagnosis (confirmation of autism in a child previously screened), it is possible to determine if a child is at risk for autism as young as one year. To appropriately diagnose a child with autism several stakeholders have to play their role. Below is the role of different stakeholders to screen & diagnose a child with autism:

1. Parents Observation:
It is parents who first observe some differences between their child and others in the same age group. However, a situation could be very different for first-time parents as they may not notice the differences, a child with autism have with other children.

Therefore it is very important that during the first year of childhood, paediatricians pay sufficient attention to a child’s developmental milestone and also educates parents about it. Nursing homes and hospitals can carry this developmental milestone on the developmental milestone chart.

Red Flags Of Autism Every Parent Must Know
As a parent, you also need to plan for it. You need to learn the early signs of autism and become familiar with the typical developmental milestones that your child should be reaching. Below are the red flags that indicate that your child might be at risk of autism spectrum disorder

No big smiles or other warm, joyful expressions by six months or thereafter
No back-and-forth sharing of sounds, smiles or other facial expressions by nine months
No babbling by 12 months
No back-and-forth gestures such as pointing, showing, reaching or waving by 12 months
No words by 16 months
No meaningful, two-word phrases (not including imitating or repeating) by 24 months
Any loss of speech, babbling or social skills at any age

Benefits of Early Autism Diagnosis
Early diagnosis of Autism and related disorders should be the topmost priority for every health care practitioner and parents. As early diagnosis help, a parent gets ready for the journey ahead. Role of parents is extremely critical in journey of defeating autism.

The several benefits of early diagnosis are as follows:
Children with autism have difficulty processing verbal instructions and language. As parents, you need to choose a language you would like your child to learn. The earlier you make a selection better it is. This will help your child grasp command over one language.
With early diagnosis, Early intervention programs can begin early. It is particularly important as the first few months of a child’s life are vital to the development of language and communication skills.
With early diagnosis, you will be able to find mentors, practitioners, who will help you chart out a plan for recovery.
As a parent, you will have time to try other methods to treat autism.