Clinical pathways from the perception of the first signs to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in Portugal: A brief report of a survey of parents

Background: Data from prevalence studies indicate an increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite this, there are few studies analysing the clinical pathways from the first signs to diagnosis. This study aims (1) to identify the most common first perceived signs of children with ASD, the persons who perceived them, and the age at which they were perceived, and (2) to analyse the clinical pathways from the first signs to diagnosis, based on parents ' information. Method: A self-administered questionnaire purposefully created for this study was used to collect data from parents of children with ASD, between April and June 2023, in Portugal. Results: A total of 26 parents of children with ASD completed the questionnaire. Many signs were identified but the most common among the respondents was speech and language delay (n = 23; 88.5%). This sign was mostly perceived by parents (n = 24; 88.9%), between one and two years of age (n = 17; 65.4%). Fifteen (57.7%) of the respondents revealed that it took up to six months to seek help from a health professional and mostly two (n = 9; 34.6%) to three (n = 8; 30.8%) professionals were consulted before diagnosis. Conclusions: This study reinforced the divergent paths across the ASD population, highlighting the heterogeneity of the condition from a very early stage. Future studies should analyse whether variables such as socioeconomic status, and the service where the children were followed (public or private) could influence the clinical pathway.