University Research Theme: Social change and equity, Healthy people, families and communities
The number of people aged 2-17 years receiving an autism diagnosis in Catalonia (an autonomous region of Spain) has increased threefold from 2009-2017. Prevalence data allows for governments to plan necessary services and supports and also helps to build community understanding for Autistic people.
Our Identification and Diagnosis Research Program develops and evaluates evidence-based approaches to identify and diagnose autism at all ages, enabling timely and personalised supports. A central part of this work is the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance (SACS) tool, which identifies behavioural markers of autism in children between 12 and 24 months of age (Mozolic-Staunton et al., 2020). We train health and education professionals worldwide to use SACS in everyday practice, ensuring earlier identification and access to support for families.
Building on this foundation, we created ASDetect, a mobile application that empowers parents to observe and assess their child’s social communication behaviours using guided video comparisons, all from their smartphone (Barbaro & Yaari, 2020).
Additionally, in 2019, Emeritus Professor Cheryl Dissanayake AM was (one of 26) invited as a Commissioner on the Lancet Commission on Autism (2019-21), resulting in a landmark paper – The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism which advocates for autism supports be equitable.
Impact
In 2025, Catalonia embedded our early identification research into its national public health framework. The Protocol for preventive and health promotion activities in pediatric age: Growing up with Health (translated Protocol d’activitats preventives i de promoció de la salut a l’edat pediàtrica Créixer amb Salut) draws directly from our pioneering work on the SACS tool, the ASDetect mobile application and the Lancet Commission on Autism.
Informed by our research, the Protocol recommends:
- Universal developmental monitoring for all children across primary health and early education settings.
- A two-stage pathway involves developmental monitoring using tools such as ASDetect, followed by diagnostic assessment where required. ASDetect and the Spanish version of the Promoting social attention, interaction and communication skills booklet are recommended resources on pg 115.
- Professional training for healthcare and education staff to recognise early signs of autism.
- A commitment to equity ensures that all children, regardless of background, have access to early identification and support.
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
