What are the age range and limitations of the ASD-PEDS?
The ASD-PEDS was developed using a database including toddlers between 14-36 months of age. The ASD-PEDS may be used to structure observations for a range of toddlers and young children; however, the scores may be less relevant than clinical judgment when evaluating children who are older than 36 months of age, who are using flexible phrase speech, are not walking, have medical complexities that would complicate the diagnosis (e.g., visual or hearing impairments), or have a complex trauma or social history.
Who can use the ASD-PEDS?
The ASD-PEDS is designed for use by providers with specific training in recognizing autism characteristics and diagnosing autism in toddlers. These providers may include psychologists and licensed senior psychological examiners, pediatricians, speech-language pathologists, developmental pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and other allied health professionals. Recent research supports use of the ASD-PEDS by community pediatric providers with varying levels of familiarity with autism. However, it is important for individual providers to consider their own training, experience, and comfort level with identifying autism in young children. Providers should seek supervision and training as needed and only operate within their scope of practice and expertise.
How does the ASD-PEDS fit into a diagnostic evaluation?
The ASD-PEDS is designed to be a tool used flexibly to guide observations of toddlers referred for concerns related to autism. When used as a diagnostic tool, it should be combined with a thorough developmental/medical history and a caregiver interview regarding the presence of autism-related behaviors. The outcomes from these observations, including any decision regarding diagnosis, are based on the confidence and training of the provider and the information they have, not solely on the ASD-PEDS score.
Have you published on ASD-PEDS?
Publications related to the ASD-PEDS algorithm include:
- Corona, L. L., Wagner, L., Wade, J., Weitlauf, A. S., Hine, J., Nicholson, A., Stone, C., Vehorn, A., & Warren, Z. (2020). Toward novel tools for autism identification: Fusing computational and clinical expertise. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Online first, DOI: /10.1007/s10803-020-04857-x
- Honaker, M. G., Weitlauf, A. S., Swanson, A. R., Hooper, M., Sarkar, N., Wade, J., & Warren, Z. E. (2023). Paisley: Preliminary validation of a novel app-based e-Screener for ASD in children 18–36 months. Autism Research. ePub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1002/ aur.2997
How can I cite the ASD-PEDS?
Hine, J., Foster, T., Wagner, L., Corona, L., Nicholson, A., Stone, C., Swanson, A., Wade, J., Weitlauf, A., & Warren, Z. (2023). ASD-PEDS: An Autism Evaluation Tool for Toddlers and Young Children. Vanderbilt University Medical Center. triad.vumc.org/asd-peds
View complete manual as a digital flipbook below
How do I learn more about assessing and diagnosing autism in toddlers?
We have several resources available in our resource portal for medical and other pediatric providers at triad.vumc.org/provider-portal.
What resources are available in the resource portal?
- Diagnostic Interviews and Checklists
- DSM-5 Checklist
- DSM-5 ASD Young Child Interview
- Toddler Medical and Developmental History
- Online Learning Modules for Providers and Families
- How to Navigate Discussing/Providing an Autism Diagnosis
- ASD in Primary Care Education (ASD-PRIME)
- Pediatric resident training resources
- Webinar Recordings that describe the background, development, and use of ASD-PEDS
- Upcoming live trainings (in-person and virtual)
- Documentation support and examples for reports
- Tele-assessment Tools
- Post-diagnostic Follow-up Supports and Recommendations