The publication of ‘
Autism Spectrum Disorders in Infants and Toddlers’ is exceptionally timely given the recent focus on the importance of early identification of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s). Improving the reliability of early markers of ASD is important as research has suggested that 75–87% those diagnosed at 2 years of age develop functional language (Turner et al.
2006), far greater than the 50% suggested in ASD more generally (Volkmar et al.
1994). Additionally Krantz (
2000) suggested that social skills training for ASD children should begin before the age of 5 years to have a good chance to be effective. At present, however, autism is diagnosed at an average age of around 5 years (Wiggins et al.
2006). …
