Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children

Early intervention is so important for children affected by an ASD.  One of the keys to receiving this intervention is early identification.  Here in Walla Walla, we are stepping up our efforts to identify children early and get them the interventions they need.

EWASDA has been working with The Walla Walla County Health Department and Functional Behavior Solutions, LLC to provide free screeners for Autism Spectrum Disorders in our community.  The screener chosen is the STAT.

The STAT, developed by Dr. Wendy Stone of The University of Washington Autism Center, is an empirically based interactive screening instrument that uses a play based  model to directly observe and measure a child’s performance in social and communicative behaviors, the best early indicators.  Instead of relying on parental report, this screener allows an experienced clinician to interact with the child in a friendly, play environment while objectively scoring items in four sections: play, requesting, directing attention and imitation.  Designed to indicate a risk for an autism diagnosis, this screener will create some false positives, but has proven to be reliable.  For more information on the STAT visit the Vanderbilt Triad website at: http://kc.vanderbilt.edu/triad/training/page.aspx?id=821  

We will be providing our first free screener August 11th.  Please contact us for an appointment, spots are going quickly.