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Screening young people for autism with the developmental behavior checklist.
Avril V Brereton1, Bruce J Tonge, Andrew J Mackinnon
1Monash University Centre for Developmental Psychiatry, Monash Medical Centre, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|November 1, 2002
Summary
A new autism screening tool, the Developmental Behavior Checklist-Autism Screening Algorithm (DBC-ASA), effectively identifies young people with autism. This 29-item scale is reliable for individuals aged 4-18, including those with intellectual disabilities.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Clinical psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis requires reliable screening tools.
- The Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC) is a comprehensive measure of childhood behavioral and emotional problems.
- There is a need for validated screening tools for autism in diverse populations, including those with intellectual disabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a brief autism screening tool using items from the DBC.
- To assess the reliability and validity of the Developmental Behavior Checklist-Autism Screening Algorithm (DBC-ASA) in discriminating individuals with autism from controls.
Main Methods:
- A 29-item scale, the DBC-ASA, was derived from the DBC.
- The DBC-ASA was evaluated in a sample of 180 children diagnosed with autism and 180 matched controls (age, sex, IQ range).
- Statistical analysis was used to determine the validity and reliability of the DBC-ASA.
Main Results:
- The DBC-ASA demonstrated good validity in discriminating young people (4-18 years) with autism from controls.
- A cutoff score of 17 on the DBC-ASA effectively identified individuals with autism across a range of intellectual functioning, from normal to severe intellectual disability.
- The screening tool showed high reliability for the target age group and diagnostic criteria.
Conclusions:
- The DBC-ASA is an effective and reliable autism screening questionnaire for at-risk young people.
- This tool is particularly valuable for screening individuals with intellectual disabilities, addressing a critical gap in diagnostic resources.
- The DBC-ASA offers a practical solution for early identification of autism in clinical and research settings.