The guidelines, 'Autism recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people on the autism spectrum', are the first to be developed by NICE on the condition in children from birth.
According to NICE, whereas autism was once believed to be an uncommon disorder, recent studies have found an increase in the number of children who may be affected, with at least one in 100 children now thought to be autistic.
The guidance identifies signs for nursery staff who suspect a child in their care may be autistic to look out for (see box). It lists possible risk factors, such as if a child has one or more siblings with autism, or if they were born prematurely.
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