Great results from early autism screening
The Xuhui District health authority has teamed with the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University to introduce autism screening in all the district’s maternity hospitals and neighborhood health centers for the detection of autism in children before 18 months old.
A green channel and network for diagnosis, treatment and intervention has also been established, health officials said on Saturday, the International Day of Families.
By 2020, the district had voluntarily screened 43,301 children between 18 and 24 months old and found 336 children with problems. In the end, 96 children were diagnosed with autism.
About 80 percent of the children have received timely and effective intervention, and most are able to go to ordinary kindergartens and primary schools.
Yi Chuntao, director of Fenglin Subdistrict Neighborhood Health Center, said autistic children being detected through early screening can receive diagnosis 15 months earlier which wins precious time for early intervention.
