Autism is a neurological spectrum disorder that affects the typical functioning of the brain. According to the American Psychiatric Association it has been classified as a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) with symptoms of delayed language development (doesn’t have many words or often repeats words), delayed social skills (poor eye contact, not interested in others, doesn’t play appropriately with toys, doesn’t point to toys or others), and often engages in repetitive and ritualistic behaviors (must play with objects in the same way, engages in self stimulatory behaviors, for example: hand flapping, finger spelling, gazing at things).

According to a 2007 study performed by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network, "about 1 in 150 8-year-old children in multiple areas of the United States had an ASD" (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Click here to download that study.

The M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) is a tool that is used to help determine if further professional evaluation may be needed for your child. This tool is designed to help determine if your child is experiencing a delay in social skills development; however, is not designed to be scored by the person taking it.

The DSM-IV Criteria is a tool that many physicians use to determine autism.

**Please note that the M-CHAT and the DSM-IV should only be used as guidelines. Further professional evaluation should be sought if you are concerned about the development of your child.

Information about the M-CHAT comes from www.utmem.edu (University of Tennessee, Health Science Center).
Information about the DSM-IV Criteria comes from www.autism-pdd.net (Autism and PDD Support Network).