The paper describes principal criteria for assessing validity of screening instruments and reviews the most widely used specific techniques for screening autistic disorders. The following criteria are essential for developing the techniques and for assessing them: conducting the standardizing procedure on a large sample, proved reliability and validity (with the focus on high sensitivity with specificity over 80%), speed and easiness of conducting the procedure, of computing and interpreting the findings. Currently there are no home-made techniques meeting all those requirements. The most effective and popular international screening instrument of the first level is M-CHAT-R/F. Out of international techniques of the second level whose diagnostic validity has been proved, a few have been translated and identified in Russia (SCQ, CASD, AMSE), but their application and the corresponding empirical validation are limited.