An online test to diagnose autism in minutes

If you suspect your child has signs of autism, you may no longer have to live with constant worry while waiting for a doctor to carry out the usual diagnostic assessment, which takes several hours. American scientists have announced a new way to diagnose autism in children accurately in just a few minutes, needing nothing more than a computer connected to the internet. This could boost early diagnosis of the disorder and help limit its effects.

Children with autism have difficulties with social interaction and communication. They have their own way of understanding things, their surroundings and their routines, and strongly resist attempts to change them. Symptoms appear in the first three years of life and last for life, and boys are affected four times as often as girls. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported at the end of last month that autism has reached record levels, affecting one in 88 American children.

The steady rise in autism led Professor Dennis Wall of Harvard University and his colleagues to run many tests and experiments on the best way to diagnose it. They arrived at a method that cuts about 95% of the time diagnosis usually takes. The standard behavioural assessment has 93 parts, usually takes more than three hours and needs an experienced doctor. The new test has just seven questions which, according to the researchers, can diagnose autism in minutes with up to 100% accuracy.

"We believe this new approach will make it possible to diagnose autism accurately in more children, and earlier, at an age when behavioural therapies are very effective," says Professor Wall.

The study also points out that there is often a delay of more than a year between the first signs of autism and diagnosis, which it puts down to the long wait for a specialist who can carry out the tests and make a formal diagnosis.

The researchers hope their approach will make a real difference in the world of autism, much of which is still a mystery. Being able to test at home in a few minutes would encourage more parents to have their children tested and so find more cases as early as possible. The test is available free on a website set up by Wall and on a Facebook page created for the purpose.