Screening & Diagnosis

Early identification is critical in helping young children and families thrive. However, many barriers impact early access to developmental and autism screening and diagnostic services. Within this area of research, we identify barriers and create solutions for early screening and diagnosis for all families, especially from underserved communities.

Read more about our research on screening and diagnosis of autism and developmental disabilities below.

ASPEN Intervention Program

(Ongoing Project)

As part of the the ASD Screening and Parent ENgagement (ASPEN) Program, we conduct autism screening of children who do not have an Autism diagnosis. The results are provided to the families and, if eligible, they are enrolled in the ASPEN program. ASPEN focuses on naturalistic, developmental, and behavioral strategies. These are strategies that are easy to use in the child’s natural environment and are aligned with developmental and behavioral milestones.

​Status: Currently enrolling children (18 months – 6 years) who have autism or have developmental delays consistent with autism and their primary caregiver

Location: Children and their caregiver must reside in Texas

Funded by: National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, PI: Sandra B. Vanegas, PhD (University of Texas at Austin) 

Project Dates: September 30, 2019 – September 29, 2024

Project Website: https://www.aspenprogramtx.org/

For more information, contact: Sandra Vanegas, sandra.vanegas@austin.utexas.edu

Evaluation of the CRIDI Assessment

(Ongoing Project)

Autism assessments for Latino children are often delayed due to a range of issues, including access to Spanish-speaking providers and access to valid and reliable diagnostic tools. This project will evaluate the validity of a Spanish-language parent interview (CRIDI) with a best-estimate clinical diagnosis to determine if the CRIDI tool can be used to expedite autism assessments for Latino children. ​

​Status: Currently enrolling 

Location: Children and their parent must reside in the greater Austin area

Funded by: American Brain Foundation / American Academy of Neurology (PI: Audrey Brumback, MD, PhD, University of Texas at Austin)

Project Dates: July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023

For more information, contact: Audrey Brumback, audrey.brumback@austin.utexas.edu

Related Presentations and Publications

* Denotes student author

​Presentations

  • Vanegas, S. B., *Davila, M., *Davila Valdes, J., *Hopp, L., *Le, C., & Magaña, S. (2023, April). Characterizing family empowerment among culturally diverse families of children with developmental disabilities in low-resource communities. Poster presented at the Gatlinburg Conference on Research and Theory in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Kansas City, MO.
  • Vanegas, S. B., *Davila, M., *Hopp, L., *Davila Valdes, J., & *Martinez, C. (2023, March). Characterizing maternal communicative behaviors in mothers of young children with autism and developmental delays in low-resource households. Poster presented at the annual Meeting of Language in Autism, Durham, NC.
  • Vanegas, S. B., Magana, S., & *Zeng, W. (2021, May). Characterizing the diagnosis and service odyssey in Texas: Results from a needs assessment survey. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Boston, Massachusetts.
  • *Davila, M., *Le, C., *Hernandez, A., & Vanegas, S. B. (2021, April). Characterizing autism symptoms and social and emotional wellbeing in college students. Poster presented at the 2021 International Research Conference for Graduate Students, San Marcos, TX.
  • *Davila, M., *Soto-Samudio, S., *Le, C., & Vanegas, S. B. (2021, February). Identifying and addressing racial/ethnic disparities in special education services. Poster presented to the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah.
  • Vanegas, S. B., & Magaña, S. (2019, May). Identifying predictors of age of diagnosis for Latino children with ASD in a U.S. sample. In S. B. Vanegas (Chair), Cultural and structural factors underlying diagnostic and service disparities among racial/ethnic minority children in the U.S. Symposium presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Autism Research, Montreal, Canada.

Publications

  • Magaña, S., Heydarian, N., & Vanegas, S. B. (2022). Disparities in health care access and outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190632366.013.288
  • Vanegas, S. B. (2021). Examining factors related to the age of diagnosis of children with ASD from immigrant and non-immigrant backgrounds in a diverse, clinical sample. Autism Research, 14, 1260-1270. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2489
  • Magaña, S., & Vanegas, S. B. (2021). Culture, Race, Ethnicity, and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. In L. M. Glidden, L. Abbeduto, L. L. McIntyre, & M. Tassé (Eds.), APA Handbook of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. American Psychological Association.
  • Magaña, S. & Vanegas, S. B. (2017). Diagnostic utility of the ADI-R and DSM-5 in the assessment of Latino children and adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 1278-1287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3043-2
  • Vanegas, S. B., Magaña, S., Morales, M., & *McNamara, E. (2016). Clinical validity of the ADI-R in a U.S.-based Latino population. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 46, 1623-1635. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2690-4