Autism is best discovered early, one of the tools that was developed for the screening process is called the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT). M-CHAT is a validated developmental screening tool for toddlers between 16 and 30 months of age. It is designed to identify children who may benefit from a more thorough developmental and autism evaluation. The M-CHAT can be administered and scored as part of a well-child check-up, and also can be used by specialists or other professionals to screen for developmental delay.
However most of the time it is either not done or not done properly and the tools provided are opened for many interpretations and ambiguity due to cultural and language differences especially in an Asian or Middle Easten context.
The other challenge which could prevent a thorough evaluation is that most of the time, children at that age might have strangers’ anxiety when meeting up with someone for the first time. It is more effective to observe them during the time when they are most relax and comfortable. Parents and caregivers have a lot of contact time with their child/ward and it will be ideal if they can observe their behaviour in the normal everyday life. The mobile M-Chat could facilitate them through the process.