Study: When children show signs of autism, pediatricians are often short

Pediatricians do routine checks for autism, but new research suggests that they often do not work when screenings indicate a cause for concern.

A study of the medical records of children who saw 290 physicians between 2014 and 2016 shows that the vast majority of them were screened for autism at 18 and 24 months, as recommended the American Academy of Pediatrics.

However, in cases where the screening test found children, only 31% of providers were referred to an autism specialist, according to findings published this month in the journal Pediatrics.

For the study, researchers examined 23,514 screenings with what is called the modified autism control list in young children, or M-CAT. Of these, 530 children failed at 18 months, 24 months, or both.

The researchers then followed the children for two to four years to find out what types of referrals had been made or completed and how they behaved.

The study found that even when children were referred to an autism specialist, only about half of the families followed. In the end, 18% of children who failed M-CHAT screening were diagnosed with autism and 59% had another neurodevelopmental disorder.

Although autism can be reliably identified at the age of 2, less than half of children with developmental disabilities are diagnosed at the age of 4, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Early detection of autism is considered important because research has shown that the intervention performed best when it was young.

"Pediatricians must take action as a result of this failure," said Robin Kochel, associate professor of pediatrics and psychology at Baylor College of Medicine, who participated in the study. "Whether this action immediately evaluates autism itself, or makes appropriate referrals if they are unsure whether a child meets the criteria for autism."