Tag Archives: childhood autism rating scale

Screening Tests for Autism

Posted by admin on May 12, 2003 Comments Off

There are many assessment tools for detecting autism in children, all of which have their strengths and weaknesses.

One such test is the widely used Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) which was developed in the 1980’s (Schopler et al., 1980). The CARS specifically looks at 15 behavioral based items in which children receive a score ranging from 1 as exhibiting normal behavior to 4 as indicative of autism on assessment of each of these 15 items (Schopler et al., 1980).

Understanding Autism and Autism Treatments

Posted by admin on April 20, 2003 Comments Off

It was my father who gave me my first gut-level comprehension of the word ‘autism.’ ‘From the Greek for ‘self,’’ he said. ‘The same root as ‘autonomous,’ ‘automatic’: That which is self-contained, self-directed, self-motivated.’ … When had Anne-Marie shared anything with me in the past year? When had she last responded to me, connected with me? If there was anyone there at all behind that mournfully empty face, she was not reaching out to us in any way that I could see (Maurice, 1993, p. 32-33).