Doctors say early detection is key for treatment and researchers hope a new app could help doctors diagnose children with autism at an earlier stage.
While parents need to fill out a questionnaire at a child's two-year checkup, experts say those questionnaires can miss important signs, and are not as effective in girls or ethnic minorities.
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Now, researchers at Duke University are developing an app they say can more quickly and accurately diagnose autism in young children.
The app takes fewer than ten minutes to administer and includes a series of prompts and videos for kids to respond to.
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According to the CDC, about 3% of children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder and boys are four times more likely than girls to be diagnosed.