HIGHLIGHTS:
- La Trobe University in Melbourne, has developed an early screening to diagnose autism in children
- SACS is the name of the new tool
- The SACS technique can detect autism four years sooner than existing diagnostic methods
La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, has developed an early screening method to diagnose autism in children aged 12 to 24 months.
About the new tool
SACS is the name of the new tool (Social Attention and Communication Surveillance).
There are two parts to it: SACS-Revised and SACS-Preschool. Bangladesh, China, New Zealand, Poland, Italy, Japan, Nepal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom are among the 11 countries that currently employ the SACS technology.
Testing of the new tool
A five-year study involving 13,500 youngsters was undertaken by La Trobe University researchers in Australia. 83 percent of the children aged 12 to 24 months who were “tagged” by the screening tool were ultimately diagnosed with autism. JAMA Open Network, a medical journal, published this research.
The new tool’s benefit
The SACS technique can detect autism four years sooner than existing diagnostic methods. People with autism can have better life outcomes if they are diagnosed at a young age.
M-CHAT
The M-CHAT (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers) is the current standard test for diagnosing autism in children aged 4 to 6. M-CHAT has a 6 percent accuracy, which is substantially lower than the 83 percent accuracy of the SACS-Revised instrument.
Concerning Autism
Autism is a neurological condition. Autism is characterized by confined and repetitive activities, as well as difficulty in social communication.
