Developmental screening is designed to identify children who should receive more intensive assessment. Because screens are designed to cast a wide net, concerns will be raised for many toddlers who, with further evaluation, will be found to be OK.

It is important to remember that there is a wide range of normal child development. While speech delay is one "red flag" for possible autism, delayed speech is, by itself, a very common developmental delay. A child's development may be uneven. For example, a child may walk earlier than the average but be later than average in language development.

The heightened awareness of parents and pediatricians to autism is resulting in more and earlier referrals to Tri-Counties Regional Center. Often, we find a toddler is not autistic but does have other developmental issues that we can serve through the Early Start program. Early intervention can help to ameliorate many of these issues.

— Robert E. Nopar, M.D., Thousand Oaks
(The writer is a physician with Tri-Counties Regional Center. — Editor)