Theoretically speaking, the first 3 years of a child’s development is crucial. Parents would normally make several visits to their child’s pediatrician during this period for routine check-ups, vaccinations and general developmental screenings (that includes screening for any signs of autism). Now the question is, how rampant is autism in toddlers?
On March 27, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data on the prevalence of autism in the United States. This surveillance study identified 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
According to research, about half of all cases of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be diagnosable during the toddler years, whilst the other half may be diagnosed later and may be a very different type of the behavioral and social disorder.
Researchers found that certain early signs of autism spectrum disorders (including autism) were evident in children at 14 months of age, and this early diagnosis was then confirmed by age 3. 
The fact that we can identify this at such a young age is extremely exciting because it gives us an opportunity to diagnose children with ASD very early on when intervention may have a great impact on development,” says researcher Rebecca Landa, PhD, director of the Kennedy Krieger Institute Center for Autism and Related disorders, in a news release.
A study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, researchers followed 107 children considered at high risk for autism spectrum disorders because they had a brother or sister with autism, and 18 children with no family history of the disorder.
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