Autism Screening

Detección de autismo

Also: Tamizaje de autismo (regional variant)

In 9 languages

LanguageTerm
EnglishAutism Screening
Spanish (Español) Detección de autismo
Chinese (中文) 自閉症篩查
Korean (한국어) 자폐 선별검사
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt) Sàng lọc tự kỷ
Filipino (Tagalog) Autism screening
Portuguese (Português) Triagem de autismo
Thai (ภาษาไทย) การคัดกรองออทิสซึม
Japanese (日本語) 自閉症スクリーニング

What it means

Autism screening is a brief developmental questionnaire given to parents at the 18-month and 24-month well-child visits to identify early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The most commonly used tool is the M-CHAT-R (Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised). Early signs include not making eye contact, not responding to their name, not pointing or waving, limited babbling or speech, and repetitive behaviors. Screening does not diagnose autism — a positive screen leads to further developmental evaluation. Early diagnosis allows access to early intervention therapies (such as speech, occupational, and applied behavior analysis) that can significantly improve outcomes.

How to say it

Sentences a patient might use with a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or insurer:

My child passed the autism screening at 18 months — does that mean they definitely do not have autism?

Mi hijo pasó la detección de autismo a los 18 meses — ¿eso significa que definitivamente no tiene autismo?

My child's autism screening was positive — what are the next steps?

La detección de autismo de mi hijo fue positiva — ¿cuáles son los próximos pasos?

What early signs of autism should I watch for before the 18-month screening?

¿Qué señales tempranas de autismo debo vigilar antes de la detección de los 18 meses?

Where you'll see it

pediatric visit noteswell-child visit notesreferral notes

Related ICD-10-CM category

F84 Pervasive developmental disorders

Related terms

Sources

US Glossary Español A–Z US Codes United States

Last reviewed: September 2026