scholarly journals Sensitivity and specificity of early screening for autism

BJPsych Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pål Surén ◽  
Alexandra Saasen-Havdahl ◽  
Michaeline Bresnahan ◽  
Deborah Hirtz ◽  
Mady Hornig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Early Screening ◽  
Social Communication Questionnaire ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Background Early identification and diagnosis is beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Universal early screening is recommended by many experts, but disputed because evidence is limited, and sensitivity and specificity in general populations are largely unknown. Aims To estimate the sensitivity and specificity of early population-based screening for ASDs. Method The study was based on the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. The 36-month cohort questionnaire included the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), a 40-item screening instrument for ASD. Results A total of 58 520 mothers (58%) responded to the questionnaire. By the end of follow-up on 31 December 2015, 385 (0.7%) individuals with ASD had been identified among the responders' children. The distributions of SCQ scores in those with ASD and other children had large degrees of overlap. With the cut-off of 15 recommended in the SCQ manual, screening sensitivity was 20% (95% CI 16–24) for ASD overall. For children with ASD who had not developed phrase speech at 36 months, sensitivity was 46% (95% CI 35–57%), whereas it was 13% (95% CI 9–17) for children with ASD with phrase speech. Screening specificity was 99% (95% CI 99–99). With the currently recommended cut-off of 11, sensitivity increased to 42% for ASD overall (95% CI 37–47), 69% (95% CI 58–79) for ASD without phrase speech and 34% (95% CI 29–40) for ASD with phrase speech. Specificity was then reduced to 89% (95% CI 89–90). Conclusions Early ASD screening with a parent checklist had low sensitivity. It identified mainly individuals with ASD with significant developmental delay and captured very few children with ASD with cognitive skills in the normal range. Increasing sensitivity was not possible without severely compromising specificity. Declaration of interest C.L. receives royalty for the Social Communication Questionnaire, which she has co-authored.

The sensitivity and specificity of the social communication questionnaire for autism spectrum with respect to age

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 838-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucy Barnard-Brak ◽  
Adam Brewer ◽  
Steven Chesnut ◽  
David Richman ◽  
Anna Marie Schaeffer
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Communication Questionnaire ◽  
The Social

Applying Item Response Theory Modeling to Identify Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1916-1932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiying Yuan ◽  
Christine Dollaghan
Keyword(s):  
Item Response Theory ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
National Database ◽  
Communication Disorder ◽  
Social Communication Questionnaire ◽  
Autism Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Pragmatic Communication

Purpose No diagnostic tools exist for identifying social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SPCD), a new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition category for individuals with social communication deficits but not the repetitive, restricted behaviors and interests (RRBIs) that would qualify them for a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We explored the value of items from a widely used screening measure of ASD for distinguishing SPCD from typical controls (TC; Aim 1) and from ASD (Aim 2). Method We applied item response theory (IRT) modeling to Social Communication Questionnaire–Lifetime ( Rutter, Bailey, & Lord, 2003 ) records available in the National Database for Autism Research. We defined records from putative SPCD ( n = 54), ASD ( n = 278), and TC ( n = 274) groups retrospectively, based on National Database for Autism Research classifications and Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised responses. After assessing model assumptions, estimating model parameters, and measuring model fit, we identified items in the social communication and RRBI domains that were maximally informative in differentiating the groups. Results IRT modeling identified a set of seven social communication items that distinguished SPCD from TC with sensitivity and specificity > 80%. A set of five RRBI items was less successful in distinguishing SPCD from ASD (sensitivity and specificity < 70%). Conclusion The IRT modeling approach and the Social Communication Questionnaire–Lifetime item sets it identified may be useful in efforts to construct screening and diagnostic measures for SPCD.

scholarly journals Impaired voice processing in reward and salience circuits predicts social communication in children with autism

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Arthur Abrams ◽  
Aarthi Padmanabhan ◽  
Tianwen Chen ◽  
Paola Odriozola ◽  
Amanda E Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Editorial Note ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mother’S Voice ◽  
Voice Processing

Engaging with vocal sounds is critical for children’s social-emotional learning, and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often ‘tune out’ voices in their environment. Little is known regarding the neurobiological basis of voice processing and its link to social impairments in ASD. Here, we perform the first comprehensive brain network analysis of voice processing in children with ASD. We examined neural responses elicited by unfamiliar voices and mother’s voice, a biologically salient voice for social learning, and identified a striking relationship between social communication abilities in children with ASD and activation in key structures of reward and salience processing regions. Functional connectivity between voice-selective and reward regions during voice processing predicted social communication in children with ASD and distinguished them from typically developing children. Results support the Social Motivation Theory of ASD by showing reward system deficits associated with the processing of a critical social stimulus, mother’s voice, in children with ASD.Editorial note: This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that minor issues remain unresolved (<xref ref-type="decision-letter" rid="SA1">see decision letter</xref>).

How useful is the Social Communication Questionnaire in toddlers at risk of autism spectrum disorder?

2010 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 1260-1268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris Oosterling ◽  
Nanda Rommelse ◽  
Maretha de Jonge ◽  
Rutger Jan van der Gaag ◽  
Sophie Swinkels ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication Questionnaire ◽  
The Social

scholarly journals Technology-Assisted Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder using Augmented Reality

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 2156-2162
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmented Reality ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
The Social ◽  
Behavior Skills ◽  
And Behavior

Technology-assisted intervention has potentials in improving the social, communication and behavior impairments in of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Augmented reality (AR) offers multitude of possibilities and opportunities for the intervention of children with ASD. Therefore, this study identifies 13 researches from 2012 to 2018 that documented the efficacy of augmented reality applications in supporting the intervention of children with ASD. This study reviews the applications of augmented reality that nhanced the intervention for children with autism in (i) social skills, (ii) communication skills, and (iii) behavior skills. The conclusion reports the significant roles of augmented reality as technology-assisted intervention for children with ASD.

Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders With the Social Communication Questionnaire

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. S95-S103 ◽  
Author(s):  
LINDA C. EAVES ◽  
HEATHER D. WINGERT ◽  
HELENA H. HO ◽  
ELIZABETH C.R. MICKELSON
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Social Communication Questionnaire ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spectrum Disorders
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