Determining whether a young child has an autism spectrum disorder requires direct observation of the child and caregiver report of the child's everyday behaviors. There are few interviews for parents that are specifically designed for children under 3 years of age. The Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory is a new interview that asks caregivers of children age 12-36 months about symptoms of possible autism spectrum disorder. The Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory uses a cutoff score to indicate likelihood for autism spectrum disorder; this cutoff score appears to accurately identify most children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder without identifying too many who do not have autism spectrum disorder. The Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory interview can help clinicians to determine whether a young child shows symptoms suggestive of an autism spectrum disorder.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; developmental disorders; diagnosis; toddlers.