Over 700,000 people in the UK are on the autism spectrum¹ - that's a lot of people and families for whom it's a part of everyday life. However, for parents who believe their child may be affected² by autism, getting a diagnosis³ isn't always easy.

英国70万多人都可能患有自闭症--对于很多人、很多家庭而言，自闭症是他们日常生活的一部分。然而，对于觉得自己的孩子可能患上自闭症的家长而言，诊断却并非易事。

Firstly, the symptoms can be difficult detect in a child under three-years-old and typically, a diagnosis aren't made until a child is about five. However, a test has been developed to help parents and doctors identify the signs earlier - when the child is still a toddler.

首先，很难发现三岁以下儿童的自闭症症状，通常来说，小孩子5岁左右的时候才能被诊断出是否患有该疾病。但是，一项测试已制定出来，以帮助家长和医生更早的识别这些迹象--小孩子刚蹒跚学步的时候就能诊断。

Psychological Development Questionnaire (PDQ-1) has been put together by Rutgers University, and researchers say it can spot autism 88 per cent of the time, The Sun reports. The test asked parents to look at whether their child gestures to show interest or get attention, responds to their name, enjoys playing peek-a-boo, speaks in phrases and relates to others.

英国《太阳报》报道：罗格斯大学组合了一份心理发展问卷（PDQ-1），研究人员表示正确诊断出自闭症的几率为88%。这项测试要求家长观察他们孩子的举动是表现出兴趣还是为了吸引别人的注意力、叫他们的名字是否会应答、是否喜欢玩躲猫猫、能否成句成句的说话、是否与他人互动。

Low scores typically occurred when a parent got more "no" answers than "yes" answers. Children who got low PDQ-1 scores were thought to be potentially on the spectrum, and were then referred for evaluation⁴ to determine if this was the case.

如果回答"不"的次数超过"是"，那么低分情况就会出现。PDQ-1分数低的孩子被认为可能患有自闭症，然后会对他们进行评估，以诊断他们是否患有该疾病。

The study looked at 1959 children aged between 18 and 36 months, all of whom are believed to have no developmental issues. Lead author Walter Zahorodny, a professor in paediatrics at the university, said:

研究调查了1959名18至36个月的儿童，这些儿童都被认为没有发展问题。罗格斯大学的儿科教授、首席作者Walter Zahorodny说道：

"The availability of valid⁵ and efficient screeners, like the PDQ-1, may enhance our ability to detect ASD in young children and expand the number of youngsters receiving early intervention⁶." However he also added: "Diagnosis of autism can only be accomplished⁷ through comprehensive evaluation by a professional.

"心理发展问卷之类有效、高效的筛查或能提高我们检测幼儿自闭症谱系障碍的能力、增加接受早期干预的幼儿人数。"然而，他也补充说："自闭症诊断只有通过专业人员的综合评估才能完成。"

"Effective screening is but the first step toward diagnosis. If we want to improve early detection, easy-to-use and reliable autism screeners need to be widely used."

"有效的筛查只是诊断的第一步。如果想提高早期检测，那么易于使用的、可靠的自闭症筛查器则需被广泛使用。"