Most estimates range from four to 30 per 10,000. Some researchers believe the number might be one in 100 including its most subtle forms. In America, concern that children with the disorder are being missed and denied early help is such that an expert panel from the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society last month recommended that all children should be screened for autism. The panel looked at evidence from 2750 studies and concluded that toddlers should be screened for autism at regular developmental checks. It asks parents whether their child plays peekaboo, shows them toys and takes an interest in other children.
Doctors note whether the child makes eye contact and whether they can interest the child in play.
The panel also says doctors should screen children when parents are worried about their development. Studies show that up to 80per cent of parents who are persistently concerned that their child has a developmental problem are right. Dr David Goldberg, an epidemiologist in Glasgow, Scotland, believes an early diagnosis is important because it can take so long for parents to get the help they need. His son Adam was diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum disorder at the age of two, after doctors had initially said that Adam would grow out of his problems. It was important that he had an early diagnosis because it was still a battle to get the education and the care we wanted for him.