BEIJING - Chinese medical specialists have developed a new diagnosis and screening scale for autism in Chinese based on the country's parenting culture.

The new criteria for autism diagnosis, developed under the leadership of China Women's Development Foundation and the office of the national family care action project for autistic children, will be published by the People's Medical Publishing House in April.

The etiology of autism is still unclear, and there are no instrumental tests for the diagnosis of the disease, which is normally identified by evaluating a patient's behavior according to such scales.

Previously, most Chinese physicians used the autism diagnosis and screening scales developed by Western countries, which are not completely suitable for Chinese conditions.

Moreover, the introduction and use of foreign scales are costly, which also limits their application in China.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social interactions and by restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior.

The disease affects at least 10 million people in China including more than 2 million children, according to an industry report released in 2015.