Early Observation of Red Flags in 12-Month-Old Infant Siblings Later Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose Valid and reliable screening tools are needed to improve early detection and optimize developmental outcomes for toddlers at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study aimed to evaluate the utility of the Systematic Observation of Red Flags (SORF) for ASD at 12 months of age in a sample of high-risk infant siblings of children with ASD. Method As part of a prospective, longitudinal study, we examined the sensitivity and specificity of the SORF at 12 months for predicting a diagnosis of ASD at 24 months in a sample of 122 infants, 31 of whom were diagnosed with ASD. Results The optimal SORF Composite cutoff score of 18 correctly identified 24 of the 31 twelve-month-olds who were diagnosed with ASD, yielding a sensitivity of .77 and a specificity of .76. The optimal SORF Red Flags cutoff score of 7 correctly identified 20 of the 31 infants, yielding a sensitivity of .65 and a specificity of .75. Conclusion This preliminary study demonstrates the potential of the SORF as an effective observational screening measure for 12-month-olds at risk for ASD with good discrimination, sensitivity, and specificity.

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Development of a brief version of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361318757563 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 494-502 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yong-Hwee Nah ◽

Robyn L Young ◽

Neil Brewer

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Typical Development ◽

Verbal Command

While autism spectrum disorder screening tools provide a useful resource for practitioners, the reality is they are underused. The justifications often provided include the time required for administration and the training involved. A brief tool with good psychometric properties that require minimal training is required. This study examined the development and the psychometric properties of a brief version of the Autism Detection in Early Childhood. The data showed the potential of the brief version of Autism Detection in Early Childhood for screening children age 12–36 months. Our dataset comprised 106 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition autism spectrum disorder, 86 non-typical development and 78 typical development participants age 12–36 months. Analyses comparing autism spectrum disorder and non-typical development groups supported the use of five critical items (i.e. response to name, social smiling, gaze switch, response to verbal command and use of gestures) to form the brief version Autism Detection in Early Childhood. The brief version of Autism Detection in Early Childhood’s optimal cutoff score of 4 had sensitivity of 0.81, specificity of 0.78, positive predictive value of 0.81 and negative predictive value of 0.78. However, the results would need to be viewed as preliminary given the nature of the study sample and the findings might not be generalisable to samples with higher levels of cognitive functioning.

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T-STAT for detecting autism spectrum disorder in toddlers aged 18–24 months

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320972300 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136236132097230

Author(s):

Chin-Chin Wu ◽

Chung-Hsin Chiang ◽

Ching-Lin Chu ◽

Lai-Sang Iao ◽

Yuh-Ming Hou

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Early Intervention ◽

Developmental Delay ◽

Sensitivity And Specificity ◽

Screening Tool ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Level 2

Two studies were conducted to examine the use of the Taiwanese version of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds for detecting autism spectrum disorder in toddlers aged 18–24 months. Study 1 used receiver operating characteristics to select a cutoff score for the Taiwanese version of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds. It involved two groups of 16 toddlers each, one group with toddlers having autism spectrum disorder and the other group with chronological and mental age-matched toddlers with developmental delay. The result suggested that a cutoff of 2.50 would yield high sensitivity and specificity. In Study 2, we recruited 136 toddlers—30 with autism spectrum disorder, 33 with mild-autism spectrum disorder, and 73 with developmental delay. Using 2.50 as the cutoff score, the concurrent agreement between Taiwanese version of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds risk and clinical diagnosis and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule yielded high sensitivity and specificity. The results of this study indicated that the Taiwanese version of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds can be used as a Level 2 autism-specific screening tool for the 18–24 months age group. Lay abstract The benefits of early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder highlight the importance of early diagnosis. Reliable diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder can be made before 24 months of age. However, many children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at a later age. Delayed diagnosis can occur for children with less severe symptoms and lead to missed opportunities for early intervention. This current study was executed to examine the Taiwanese version of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds in detecting autism spectrum disorder in toddlers between 18 and 24 months of age. One strength of this study was the inclusion of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder or mild-autism spectrum disorder using the strict and relaxed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) criteria for autism spectrum disorder simultaneously. The results of this study supported that diagnosis of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder could be made reliable before 24 months of age. And the Taiwanese version of the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds was a Level 2 autism-specific screening tool for toddlers aged from 18 to 24 months in Taiwan.

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Pediatrician Identification of Latino Children at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.2013-0383d ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 132 (3) ◽

pp. X5-X5 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

At Risk ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Latino Children ◽

Children At Risk

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Parent-Mediated Interventions for Infants under 24 Months at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders ◽

10.1007/s10803-021-05148-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Mei L. Law ◽

Jatinder Singh ◽

Mathilde Mastroianni ◽

Paramala Santosh

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

At Risk ◽

Randomized Controlled Trials ◽

Grey Literature ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Controlled Trials ◽

Intervention Effects ◽

Level Of Evidence ◽

Randomized Controlled

AbstractProdromal symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been detected within the first year of life. This review evaluated evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of parent-mediated interventions for infants under 24 months who are at risk for ASD. Electronic databases, including grey literature, were searched up till November 2019. Seven RCTs were identified. There was substantial heterogeneity in recruitment, outcome measures and effect size calculations. Interventions did not reduce the risk of later ASD diagnosis and post-intervention effects on infant outcomes were inconsistent, with five studies reporting significant improvements across both treatment and control groups. Moderate level of evidence of intervention effects on parental interaction skills and the small number of RCTs, and significant limitations restrict generalizability across studies.

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