Most children with autism are well past their fourth birthday by the time they're diagnosed with the condition, according to new government data.
Their parents and teachers may have raised red flags earlier, but it takes months or years to confirm suspicions with a formal diagnosis. And therapy rarely starts without one.
"The school wouldn't do anything for us until we had a diagnosis," said Kimberly Vincent, of Wallingford, whose daughter Rebekah was diagnosed at age 6.
That's why researchers are trying to come up with new strategies for diagnosing autism spectrum disorders as early as possible. Last month's release of new government data showing autism spectrum disorders now affect one in 68 kids provided an extra push and sense of urgency, several experts said.
"The real question is how far can you take it down," said Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, chairman of the Child Study Center at Yale University and chief of child psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital.
There's little doubt, he and other researchers said, that early therapy the earlier and more frequent the better can make a profound difference for most people with autism.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in March that the autism rate for 8-year-olds more than doubled between 2000 and 2010. Most children identified with autism were not diagnosed until after age 4. The CDC counted autism rates in 11 states, not including Connecticut.
New Jersey, the closest state on the list has an overall rate of 1 in 46, the highest in the nation. Officials there say they expect the rest of the country will eventually catch up, when diagnosis improves.
Although the average age of diagnosis is nearly four-and-a-half, diagnoses can reliably be made around age 2, according to Amy Daniels, of the advocacy and science group Autism Speaks, which was founded by longtime Fairfield residents Bob and Suzanne Wright.
In a study, Daniels found gaps in the current system, which relies largely on pediatricians to flag kids for later diagnosis and treatment.
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Autism Treatment For Under-Threes Is Key, But Diagnosis Is Tough