Abstract
Standardized screening programs ensure that children are monitored for early signs of autism spectrumdisorder (ASD) in order to promote earlier diagnosis and intervention. The aim of this study is to identify early signs of atypical development consistent with ASD or other developmental disorders in a population of 224 low-risk toddlers through a two-stage screening approach applied at 12 and 18 months of age. We adopted two screening tools combined: 1. the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile (CSBS DP) Infant-Toddler Checklist (I-TC) and 2. The Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT).We assessed their sensitivity and specificity related to the diagnostic outcome at 36 months. The results showed that autistic signs can be detected as early as the first year even through a few questions extrapolated from both screeners and that our model could be used as a screening procedure in the Italian public health system. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Brain Sci. |
Volume | 10 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Keywords
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Early detection
- Screening
- Article
- autism
- child
- clinical outcome
- Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant Toddler Checklist
- developmental delay
- female
- follow up
- human
- language delay
- major clinical study
- male
- predictive value
- prematurity
- preschool child
- public health
- Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers
- questionnaire
- school child
- screening
- sensitivity and specificity
- toddler