A test in development.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a collection of developmental disorders that occur before 3 years of age and include autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome, and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified. Children with ASD show signs of delays in communication and social interaction along with repetitive behaviors and interests. Today, diagnosis is performed by clinical assessments that involve an examiner observing a patient as he or she performs tasks as well as an interview of the patient’s parents for a detailed developmental history. The current median age at diagnosis is 5.7 years—an age that frustrates families and doctors because some research suggests that an earlier diagnosis can lead to better outcomes. “Only 20% of children are diagnosed before three,” says Stan Lapidus, founder and CEO of SynapDx, which is developing a commercial assay for ASD and working to shift diagnosis to earlier in life. “There is a clear unmet medical need for which a diagnostic could make a difference.”