Earlier Diagnosis Of Autism Provides Improved Intervention, Biomarkers Could Save Billions In Societal Healthcare Costs

Evidence‐based use of scalable ASD biomarkers to increase diagnostic efficiency, decrease costsImage via Autism Research Journal | Autism Research Study, 2021.

A complex developmental condition that involves persistent challenges in social interaction, speech, and nonverbal communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors, Autism has seen a 10-fold increase in prevalence in the last 40 years with approximately 1 in 54 children diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in America. And, the number only seems to be increasing.

Given the high ratio of children born with this disorder, it’s quite unfortunate that a relatively small number of specialists are actually trained to make a diagnosis. In fact, the longer families wait to receive a diagnosis, the longer it takes them to create effective intervention plans for those that they love. In just the time that they wait for an evaluation, they may have missed many opportunities to help their loved ones and instead struggle.

“Consequently, while diagnosis is possible in children as young as 18 months, the average age of ASD diagnosis in the United States today often exceeds 4 years of age,” notes Quadrant Biosciences. “Early diagnosis is…