Dr Josephine Barbaro summarises the past 9 years of research into the early identification of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) though the Social Attention and Communication Study (SACS; Barbaro & Dissanayake, 2010). From 2006-2008, over 20,000 children were monitored for signs of ASDs from 12 to 24 months of age at children’s routine health visits, with children showing “red flags” for ASD referred and assessed every 6 months until 2 years of age; children were again followed-up at 4 years. From a PhD in Melbourne, Australia, to international dissemination, the SACS has shown to be the most effective method for early identification of ASD in the world, replacing traditional “screening” methods with a developmental surveillance method.

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