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Canadian autism groups are putting their weight behind an American call for universal screening for the disorder, but pediatricians here are wary of the realistic benefits of doing so.

The split comes as the American Academy of Pediatrics at its annual meeting in San Francisco yesterday made its strongest push to date to screen every child twice for autism by the age of 2, warning of symptoms such as failure to babble at nine months and one-year-olds who don't point to toys.

The advice is meant to help both parents and doctors spot the disorder sooner. And while there is no cure, experts say that early therapy can lessen its severity.

"Absolutely, we need a screening procedure in place," said Margaret Spoelstra, executive director of Autism Ontario, adding there is currently no standard screening practice in place in Canada. "To screen means that we're simply casting the net more widely in order to determine who might have autism out there. For us, it's better to have some false positives than to miss kids."

But too many false positives is precisely where the problem lies in practice, according to a leading Montreal pediatrician, because that would overload a system that is already strained.

Going from a screening to therapy requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists who can properly diagnose the disorder, said Emmett Francoeur, director of the child development program at the Montreal Children's Hospital and former president of the Canadian Paediatric Society.

But the waiting list for such an evaluation is as long as a year in some parts of Canada.

"We know that the earlier you diagnose them, the better the outcome. That we're pretty sure of," he said last night. "Unfortunately, unlike a broken bone or pneumonia, where you can take an X-ray and come up with a diagnosis, it takes multiple observers looking at multiple aspects of a child's development to diagnose autism."

So, he said, if screening were to be increased, that would mean an increase in the number of evaluation teams and the amount of services for treatment - all of which are not currently feasible.

"Should all of this be done? I think so, if you're talking about the moral aspects of trying to help every possible child who has autism," Dr. Francoeur said. "Can it be done? It's a really tough question because the governments have to decide where to put all their money."

As for screening, Dr. Francoeur stressed that there are several methods that are used, but only a few are accurate enough to warrant widespread promotion.

The two American Academy of Pediatrics reports, which will appear in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics, list numerous warning signs, such as a four-month-old not smiling at the sound of mom or dad's voice, or the loss of language or social skills at any age.

The academy's renewed effort reflects growing awareness since its first autism guidelines in 2001. A 2006 policy statement urged autism screening for all children at their regular doctor visits at 18 months and 24 months.

The authors caution that not all children who display a few of these symptoms are autistic and they said parents shouldn't overreact to quirky behaviour.

The new reports say children with suspected autism should start treatment even before a formal diagnosis. They also warn parents about the special diets and alternative treatments endorsed by celebrities, saying there's no proof that those work.

With a report from Associated Press