Selected Level 1 and 2 ASD Screening Measures
| Screening Tool . | Age . | Format (No. of Items) . | Time to Complete, min . | Reported Sensitivity . | Reported Specificity . | Selected Key References . | Availability . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1a | |||||||
| CHAT | 18–24+ mo | Parent interview or questionnaire and interactive (parent: 9; clinician: 5) | 5 | 0.18–0.38b; 0.65c | 0.98–1.0b; 1.0c | Baron-Cohen et al,267 Baron-Cohen et al,272 Baird et al,19 Scambler et al273 | Download: www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/chat_test.asp |
| CHAT, Denver Modifications | 18–24+ mo | Parent interview or questionnaire and interactive (parent: 9; clinician: 5) | 5 | 0.85c | 1.0c | Scambler et al273 | CHAT scoring modifications; available in Scambler et al273 |
| Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-23 (CHAT-23) | 16–86 mo (all had mental ages of 18–24 mo) | Parent interview or questionnaire and interactive (parent: 23, clinician: 5) | 10 | 0.84–0.93c (part A); 0.74c (part B) | 0.77–0.85c (part A); 0.91c (part B) | Wong et al274 | Combination of M-CHAT and CHAT items; protocol available in Wong et al274 |
| CAST | 4–11 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (37) | 10 | 0.88–1.0d | 0.97–0.98d | Scott et al,275 Williams et al,235 Williams et al276 | Download: www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/cast_test.asp |
| M-CHAT | 16–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (23) | 5–10 | 0.85d | 0.93d | Dumont-Matthieu and Fein,277 Robins et al268 | Download: www.dbpeds.org/media/mchat.pdf or www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.pdf; for scoring: www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat_scoring.PDF |
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Primary Care Screener (PDDST-II PCS) | 18–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (22) | 10–15 | 0.92c | 0.91c | Siegel269 | Purchase: PsychCorp/Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) |
| Level 2 | |||||||
| Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS) | 5–18 y | Questionnaire completed by parent, teacher, or clinician (50) | 10–15 | 0.85c | Myles et al,278 Campbell270 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) | |
| Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) | ≥18 mo | Behavioral checklist completed by interviewer (57 ) | 10–20 | 0.38–0.58c | 0.76–0.97c | Krug et al279 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) as part of the Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning (ASIEP-2) |
| Autism Quotient (AQ)–Adolescent Version | 11–16 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (50) | 15 | 0.89c | 1.0c | Baron-Cohen et al280 | Download: www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/aq_adolescent_test.asp |
| Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) | 6–17 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (27) | 10 | 0.62–0.82c (parent); 0.65–0.70c (teacher) | Ehlers et al281 | Questions are included as an appendix in Ehlers et al281 | |
| Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) | >2 y | Behavioral checklist completed by trained interviewer/ observer (15) | Variable | 0.92–0.98c; 0.94c | 0.85c | Eaves and Milner,282 Perry et al,283 Schopler et al284 , Sevin et al285 | Purchase: Western Psychological Services (www.wpspublish.com) |
| Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale (GADS) | 3–22 y | Questionnaire completed by parent, teacher, or clinician (32) | 10 | Gilliam,286 Campbell270 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) | ||
| Gilliam Autism Rating Scale–2nd Edition (GARS-2) | 3–22 y | Questionnaire completed by parent or teacher (42) | 5–10 | Gilliam287 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) | ||
| Krug Asperger's Disorder Index (KADI) | 6–21 y | Questionnaire completed by parent or clinician (32) | 15–20 | 0.78c | 0.94c | Krug and Arick,288 Campbell270 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) |
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Developmental Clinic Screener (PDDST-II, DCS) | 18–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (14) | 10–15 | 0.73c | 0.49c | Siegel269 | Purchase: PsychCorp/Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) |
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Autism Clinic Severity Screener (PDDST-II, ACSC) | 18–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (12) | 10–15 | 0.58c | 0.60c | Siegel269 | Purchase: PsychCorp/Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) |
| Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) | 24–36 mo | Interactive, requires specific training (12) | 20 | 0.92d | 0.85d | Stone et al,289 Stone et al290 | Author: Wendy Stone, PhD (triad@vanderbilt.edu) |
| Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) (formerly the Autism Screening Questionnaire [ASQ]) | ≥4 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (40) | 5–10 | 0.85–0.96c | 0.67–0.80c | Berument et al,291 Rutter et al292 | Purchase: Western Psychological Services (www.wpspublish.com) |
| Screening Tool . | Age . | Format (No. of Items) . | Time to Complete, min . | Reported Sensitivity . | Reported Specificity . | Selected Key References . | Availability . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1a | |||||||
| CHAT | 18–24+ mo | Parent interview or questionnaire and interactive (parent: 9; clinician: 5) | 5 | 0.18–0.38b; 0.65c | 0.98–1.0b; 1.0c | Baron-Cohen et al,267 Baron-Cohen et al,272 Baird et al,19 Scambler et al273 | Download: www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/chat_test.asp |
| CHAT, Denver Modifications | 18–24+ mo | Parent interview or questionnaire and interactive (parent: 9; clinician: 5) | 5 | 0.85c | 1.0c | Scambler et al273 | CHAT scoring modifications; available in Scambler et al273 |
| Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-23 (CHAT-23) | 16–86 mo (all had mental ages of 18–24 mo) | Parent interview or questionnaire and interactive (parent: 23, clinician: 5) | 10 | 0.84–0.93c (part A); 0.74c (part B) | 0.77–0.85c (part A); 0.91c (part B) | Wong et al274 | Combination of M-CHAT and CHAT items; protocol available in Wong et al274 |
| CAST | 4–11 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (37) | 10 | 0.88–1.0d | 0.97–0.98d | Scott et al,275 Williams et al,235 Williams et al276 | Download: www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/cast_test.asp |
| M-CHAT | 16–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (23) | 5–10 | 0.85d | 0.93d | Dumont-Matthieu and Fein,277 Robins et al268 | Download: www.dbpeds.org/media/mchat.pdf or www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat.pdf; for scoring: www.firstsigns.org/downloads/m-chat_scoring.PDF |
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Primary Care Screener (PDDST-II PCS) | 18–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (22) | 10–15 | 0.92c | 0.91c | Siegel269 | Purchase: PsychCorp/Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) |
| Level 2 | |||||||
| Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS) | 5–18 y | Questionnaire completed by parent, teacher, or clinician (50) | 10–15 | 0.85c | Myles et al,278 Campbell270 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) | |
| Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) | ≥18 mo | Behavioral checklist completed by interviewer (57 ) | 10–20 | 0.38–0.58c | 0.76–0.97c | Krug et al279 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) as part of the Autism Screening Instrument for Educational Planning (ASIEP-2) |
| Autism Quotient (AQ)–Adolescent Version | 11–16 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (50) | 15 | 0.89c | 1.0c | Baron-Cohen et al280 | Download: www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/aq_adolescent_test.asp |
| Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) | 6–17 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (27) | 10 | 0.62–0.82c (parent); 0.65–0.70c (teacher) | Ehlers et al281 | Questions are included as an appendix in Ehlers et al281 | |
| Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) | >2 y | Behavioral checklist completed by trained interviewer/ observer (15) | Variable | 0.92–0.98c; 0.94c | 0.85c | Eaves and Milner,282 Perry et al,283 Schopler et al284 , Sevin et al285 | Purchase: Western Psychological Services (www.wpspublish.com) |
| Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale (GADS) | 3–22 y | Questionnaire completed by parent, teacher, or clinician (32) | 10 | Gilliam,286 Campbell270 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) | ||
| Gilliam Autism Rating Scale–2nd Edition (GARS-2) | 3–22 y | Questionnaire completed by parent or teacher (42) | 5–10 | Gilliam287 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) | ||
| Krug Asperger's Disorder Index (KADI) | 6–21 y | Questionnaire completed by parent or clinician (32) | 15–20 | 0.78c | 0.94c | Krug and Arick,288 Campbell270 | Purchase: Pro-Ed (www.proedinc.com) |
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Developmental Clinic Screener (PDDST-II, DCS) | 18–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (14) | 10–15 | 0.73c | 0.49c | Siegel269 | Purchase: PsychCorp/Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) |
| Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-II, Autism Clinic Severity Screener (PDDST-II, ACSC) | 18–48 mo | Questionnaire completed by parent (12) | 10–15 | 0.58c | 0.60c | Siegel269 | Purchase: PsychCorp/Harcourt Assessment (www.harcourtassessment.com) |
| Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) | 24–36 mo | Interactive, requires specific training (12) | 20 | 0.92d | 0.85d | Stone et al,289 Stone et al290 | Author: Wendy Stone, PhD (triad@vanderbilt.edu) |
| Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) (formerly the Autism Screening Questionnaire [ASQ]) | ≥4 y | Questionnaire completed by parent (40) | 5–10 | 0.85–0.96c | 0.67–0.80c | Berument et al,291 Rutter et al292 | Purchase: Western Psychological Services (www.wpspublish.com) |
The measures were selected on the basis of availability of some published psychometric properties (in English) with scoring instructions and pass/fail cutoffs or the equivalent.
Level 1 tools are most likely to be used in primary care settings.
Population-based sample.
Clinical sample.
Clinical and population-based samples.Adapted from Coonrod EE, Stone WL. Screening for autism in young children. In: Volkmar FR, Paul R, Klin A, Cohen D, eds. Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders. 3rd ed. Vol 2. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2005:707–729; Campbell JM. Diagnostic assessment of Asperger's disorder: a review of five third-party rating scales. J Autism Dev Disord. 2005;35:25–35; and Rutter M, Bailey A, Lord C, et al. The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) Manual. Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services; 2003.