Some polyclinics adopt autism screening tool to help early detection in toddlers

“The questionnaire has a very clear scoring system to guide healthcare professionals as to what’s the next best course of action. This will complement our existing system of using red flags to screen our children,” said Dr Ruth Zheng, a senior consultant at National University Polyclinics (NUP).

TOOL ALLOWS FOR EARLY DETECTION

With one in 150 children on the autism spectrum in Singapore – higher than the global average of one in 160 – doctors said it is all the more important for early detection.

A prior study that examined autism trends in the nation from 2016 to 2018 showed that the mean age of diagnosis was at 35.5 months of age, and the age of receiving intervention was 42 months.

The M-Chat-R/F screening tool aims to identify toddlers at risk of such developmental delay much earlier, at around 18 months old.

“Early signs of autism are present in a majority of children by 18 months of age, and many from 12 months,” said Dr Ramkumar.

“So, the premise of this screening is to capture all of these early signs in a structured format, to make parents pause and reflect whether their child is showing signs of normal development, or if there’s anything to be concerned about.”

EARLY DETECTION IS KEY

Doctors said treatment is more effective at a younger age.

“The golden period – which refers to the development of the brain between birth to about two or three years old – is when the brain is the most sensitive to receive any intervention,” Dr Ramkumar told CNA’s Singapore Tonight on Thursday (Mar 14).

“So, if we can detect children who are on the spectrum at an earlier age, we can then start treatment for them earlier, and this can translate to better outcomes. The child would then grow up to have better communication and independent living skills later on.”

In the study, approximately two per cent of children were screened positive, and among those who had further evaluation, 85.7 per cent were confirmed to have autism.

Those identified with the condition received follow-up support and intervention to address their communication and behavioural difficulties.