Early Identification of Autism: A Comparison of the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
Sunita, & Bilszta, J. L. (2013).
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 49(6), 438-444.
This review investigates the timing of autism screening and the psychometric properties of the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) for screening children, 1-5 years old, who may be on the autism spectrum.
Advanced Medical Program, University of Melbourne
1950 to December 2010
Published, English-language studies (excluding systematic reviews and meta-analyses)
13
"Evidence presented in this review confirms that administering a screening tool during 18-24-month well-child visits improves early identification of autism, while the stability of diagnosis at the ages of 18 months and 24 months is confirmed. However, complexity in diagnosis may occur in children who have both autism and developmental problems, as diagnosis of autism is based on observation of the child's behaviour" (p. 441).
"The available evidence suggests that M-CHAT has slightly better predictive accuracy than CHAT. It is recommended to use M-CHAT at approximately 18 months, to assist with early identification of autism, and at 24 months, to identify those infants who regress" (p. 438). However, "the fact that many studies did not follow up on children who screened negative means that a true rate of false negatives remains unknown. Thus, the true sensitivity and specificity of the screening tools cannot be accurately determined" (p. 443).
