Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Diagnostic Overview

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the world’s fastest-growing developmental disability. It currently affects about 1 in 36 children in the United States — a 317% increase since the year 2000. Due to the increase in autism prevalence, primary care providers in community practice are seeing more children with ASD.

The autism experts at Children’s Hospital Colorado have several initiatives to help community medical professionals recognize and diagnose autism. Elizabeth Coan, PsyD, directs one of those programs: the Pediatric Care Network Autism Program. The program offers in-person, in-depth autism education to support primary care providers so they are better equipped to identify, diagnose and care for autistic patients and their families. This program also creates a pathway for providers to refer patients that may need further evaluation to our Developmental Pediatrics team.

Understanding the behavioral symptoms of autism is a critical part of accurate autism diagnosis. In this video, Dr. Coan describes the diagnostic criteria for autism according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.


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