Current status and challenge in clinical work of autism spectrum disorders in China

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of neurodevelopmentaldisorders featured by social communicationand interaction deficits, and with limited interests andrepetitive behaviors. In China, ASDs was first reported byTao from Nanjing Brain Hospital in the early 1980s [ 1 , 2 ].Since then, more children with autism have been diagnosed.While the past more than 30 years have witnessed steadygrowth in ASD research and clinical diagnosis and interventionin China, there are still many challenges to overcome.In this article, we will present the current status of prevalence,screening and diagnosis of ASD in China and proposefurther eff orts for practitioners and policy-makers to secureoptimal outcomes for children with ASD.