The screening of children for autism in Ireland is ‘haphazard', with those affected usually only being diagnosed at the age of five, despite showing signs much earlier, experts have said.

According to Dr Peter Hayes, a Limerick-based GP and lecturer at NUI Galway, and Olive Healy, a lecturer in psychology at NUI Galway, autism is characterised by ‘severe problems in communication and behaviour' and an inability to relate to people in a normal way.

Signs of the condition present before 36 months of age and the American Academy of Paediatrics recommends that routine screening for autism should start at 18 months.

However, according to the experts, ‘screening in Ireland is more haphazard'.

"Children with autism are not typically diagnosed before five years of age and this can delay access to effective intervention and impact on outcomes for children and their families.

"The average age for diagnosis of autism is 5.5 years. However, most parents notice the signs of autism by 18 months," they said.

They pointed out that the evidence suggests that toddlers - those aged between 18 and 30 months - who are diagnosed early ‘do better than those diagnosed with autism later'.

They said that there are ‘some opportunities for health screening in Ireland for those aged 18-36 months'. For example, GPs could carry out opportunistic screening when giving vaccinations or if a child is brought in due to illness.

Public health nurses could also screen at the nine month, 18 month and 24 month check-ups.

However, they noted that recent studies have found that primary care health practitioners ‘do not have knowledge on the best current diagnostic practices in autism and this ultimately impairs treatment efficacy and leads to increased economic and health burdens'.

Even if parents or a GP suspect autism, the average waiting time for referral is currently between nine and 18 months depending on where the child lives.

"This 18-month wait for review and possibly a further wait of six to 12 months for a diagnosis is a very difficult time for parents," the experts said.

They suggested that there could be improvements in the early diagnosis of autism ‘if primary care professionals were further equipped with knowledge of key indicators through exposure to screening tools'.

"If these instruments were administered routinely during general health screening, GP visits or routine developmental checks, greater detection of the early symptoms, along with parent training and early intervention, could improve prognosis," they insisted.

They made their comments in Forum, the Journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners.