Early childhood is when the brain-body connection is at its clearest. During a child’s first few years, their brain’s nerve cells create around 1 million new connections per second (Harvard University Staff, 2025). These circuits also extend throughout the entire nervous system, which enables every system in the body to have a continuous flow of information.
The most common autism diagnosis typically comes between the ages of three and five. However, don’t worry if your child is diagnosed before or after this age range. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends getting an autism screening during a child’s 18-month and 24-month appointments (Professional, 2025). An autism assessment offers the perfect place to start, but more is necessary for a whole child approach.
Below, we’ll list a few key assessment tools that can help gauge an autistic child’s development.
Developmental Assessment of Young Children
The Developmental Assessment of Young Children, Second Edition (DAYC-2) was created for children between the ages of birth and five years, 11 months. It measures development in cognition, adaptive behavior, memory, attention, motor skills, communication, and social-emotional skills.
Each subset takes approximately 10–20 minutes to complete. The examiner will interview parents and caregivers, as well as observe the child’s behavior.
Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4)
The Developmental Profile 4 can quickly identify strengths and challenges in five key areas:
- Social-emotional
- Physical
- Adaptive behavior
- Communication
- Cognitive
It takes between 20 and 40 minutes to complete the Developmental Profile 4 (DP-4). The examiner uses parent/caregiver interviews, teacher checklists, parent/caregiver checklists and/or clinician rating scales.
The DP-4 is suitable for children between birth and 18 years of age. It can also be used for adults between the ages of 18 and 21 years, 11 months.
Early Sociocognitive Battery (ESB)
During this 15-minute assessment, an observer will systematically observe a child’s activities. ESB measures interpersonal engagement and understanding, such as joint attention, social responsiveness, and symbolic comprehension.
The Early Sociocognitive Battery assessment is best suited for individuals between 18 months and 4 years, 11 months.
Peabody Developmental Motor Skills, Third Edition (PDMS-3)
PDMS-3 is ideal for those between birth and 5 years, 11 months. It measures the development of object control, body control, hand-eye coordination, hand manipulation, and body transport.
The Peabody Developmental Motor Skills generally takes between 60 and 90 minutes. The examinee will complete several play-based motor activities.
Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Third Edition (ABAS-3)
Ultimately, the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System offers a comprehensive assessment of a neurodivergent child’s adaptive skills throughout their lifetime. A parent or teacher provides a rating scale for individuals between birth and 21 years old. Alternatively, an adult self-report may be most suitable for individuals between the ages of 16 and 89 years.
Giving the ABAS-3 assessment requires either a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree. It takes an administrator 15–20 minutes to complete this assessment.
Assessments Are Part of a Whole Child Approach
Taking a holistic, whole child approach is a vital part of helping a child reach their full potential. With a neurodivergent child, it’s most important to focus on assisting them with everything from adaptive behavior assessments to early sociocognitive battery assessments. Take what you learn from these assessments to create a more supportive home environment.