D. Scambler et al., Can the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers differentiate young children withautism from those with developmental delays?, J AM A CHIL, 40(12), 2001, pp. 1457-1463
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
Objective: The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) has been demonstrate
d to be sensitive to the presence of autism in otherwise normally developin
g 18-month-old children. However, its ability to differentiate autism from
other significant developmental delays is unknown. This study examined this
question, Method: The CHAT was applied to a group of 44 children aged 2 an
d 3 years, rigorously diagnosed with autism or with other developmental pro
blems. Results: By the original CHAT authors' criteria, the sensitivity and
specificity of the CHAT were 65% and 100%, respectively. Slightly altering
the criteria resulted in a sensitivity of 85% in the current group of chil
dren with developmental disabilities while maintaining specificity of 100%.
Conclusions: The current study is the first to demonstrate that the CHAT s
uccessfully discriminates 2-year-old children with autism from those with o
ther developmental disorders. In addition, the increased sensitivity of the
Denver Criteria in children with developmental disabilities may improve it
s usefulness as a screening tool for community-based early-diagnostic teams
and general practitioners.