Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-Aged Children: Screening, Assessment, and Diagnosis
A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disorders".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 June 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: autism; broader autism phenotype; neurodevelopmental disorders; school-aged children; screening; diagnosis
Interests: early development; emotion regulation; parenting; educational caregiving; well-being; autism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: child development; executive functions; neurodevelopment disorders; adhd; autistic spectrum
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex, lifelong neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in social communication and interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviors and interests. During the school-age years, children and youth with ASD encounter unique challenges as they navigate increasingly demanding academic, social, and adaptive environments. Timely identification, comprehensive assessment, and accurate clinical diagnosis are therefore critical to optimizing developmental and educational outcomes. However, significant practice gaps persist across educational, clinical, and community settings.
This Special Issue aims to bring together current scientific research and expert perspectives to advance the understanding of ASD during this pivotal developmental period.
Importantly, this issue also emphasizes the need to extend systematic screening and assessment to preteens and adolescents, groups who may have gone undetected in early childhood screening programs or whose needs evolve significantly during the transition to middle and high school. Identification at these later developmental stages is essential for addressing co-occurring conditions, adapting to shifting social demands and academic pressures, and supporting self-awareness, mental health, and adaptive functioning during adolescence.
Research areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, the following: screening and identification, tool development and cultural adaptation, assessment, intervention and support, and equity and access.
Dr. Clara J Fernández-Álvarez
Prof. Dr. Simona De Stasio
Prof. Dr. Carmen Berenguer
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- autism
- autism spectrum disorder
- ASD
- neurodevelopmental disorders
- autism screening
- school-aged children
- assessment
- diagnosis
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