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Early identification of children at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is critical to promote optimal outcomes. However disparities in early recognition of ASD based on race, ethnicity, income, and English proficiency persist. Little is known regarding how parents from these groups describe concerns. The study aim was to understand how parents of children from underserved backgrounds at developmental risk describe concerns about child development and behavior. To address this gap, developmental concerns of 204 parents of children at-risk for ASD from underserved communities were analyzed. In this sample, the number and type of parental concerns differed based on parent primary language but not the presence of ASD or ethnicity. Parents whose primary language was Spanish were less likely to express concerns about their child's development or to express ASD-specific concerns. These findings have implications for how clinicians elicit and interpret developmental concerns from underserved families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children with autism spectrum disorder from low-income, minority families or those with limited English proficiency are diagnosed at a later age, or not at all, compared with their more advantaged peers. The Developmental Check-In is a new tool that could potentially be used to screen for autism that uses pictures to illustrate target behaviors. It was developed to enhance early identification of autism spectrum disorder in low literacy groups. The Developmental Check-In was tested in a sample of 376 children between the ages of 24 and 60 months, from underserved communities. It showed good ability to discriminate autism spectrum disorder from non-autism spectrum disorder (area-under-the-curve = 0.75) across the full age range represented in the sample. Twenty-six of the 28 Developmental Check-In items predicted the presence of autism spectrum disorder. Findings suggest that this pictorial tool may reduce linguistic and health literacy demands when screening for autism among vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis of autism typically is associated with earlier access to intervention and improved outcomes. Daycares and preschools largely have been ignored as possible venues for early identification. This may be especially important for minority children in the United States who are typically diagnosed with autism later than White children, limiting their access to early specialized interventions and possibly resulting in poorer outcomes. Early childcare providers within underserved communities completed autism screening tools for a sample of low-risk young children (n = 967) in their programs. Early childcare providers returned screening tools for 90% of the children for whom parental consent had been received. A total of 14% of children screened positive for autism spectrum disorder and 3% of the sample met criteria for autism spectrum disorder. Among those who screened positive, 34% were lost to follow-up. Findings suggest that early childcare providers can effectively screen young children for autism spectrum disorder in preschool/daycare settings, thus improving access to early diagnosis and reducing potential healthcare disparities among underserved populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]