The process starts at the age of eighteen (18) months through M-CHAT, a short questionnaire which is carried out with the parents or guardians and which helps provide an indication of any risks relating to Autism Spectrum Disorder.

 

The first interview for autism is carried out by a health care professional from the Speech Language Department, or as part of the last Well Baby Clinic (WBC) visit, with clinics spread around Malta and Gozo. As parents or guardians you will be asked to answer twenty (20) questions concerning your child. Each question requires a Yes or No answer.

 

If your child is 18 months old and you have not participated in this screening programme, you may do so by first calling Speech Language Department on 79318423 to schedule a screening appointment from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm (Monday to Friday) or send an email on speechlanguage@gov.mt.  If you do not have a Consent Form, you will then need to print and fill in the Consent Form below and to take it with you to the screening appointment.

 

The M-CHAT questionnaire does not provide conclusive evidence of developmental delay, learning difficulties, and/or educational needs in the child and will not result in an immediate diagnosis. It may however help identify possible difficulties which could lead to an early diagnosis through further in-depth assessments by a specialised team.

 

Participation in this national autism screening programme is voluntary and free-of-charge. Should you not be able to accompany your child, an authorised adult can do so with your written permission in the space provided on the consent form.

 

Persons accompanying the child (parents, guardians or authorised adults) are to have their identity card, passport, or driving licence available for identification purposes.

 

You may choose to attend any one of the clinics on the list below.