Nationwide Autism Screening Underway

Over 20,000 children have been examined under the nationwide autism screening project, according to Hussein Nahvinejad, head of the Rehabilitation Services Department at the State Welfare Organization. “The screening program began in October to identify children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the country for timely diagnosis and treatment,” he was quoted by Mizanonline as saying. There are about 2,200 children with ASD registered at the SWO. A group of developmental disorders including a wide range and levels of disability such as difficulty communicating, ASD is often diagnosed when it is too late for intervention, imposing a great burden on the society.