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Published on: October 3, 2018
Validation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, Mandarin Chinese Version (CH-ASSQ) in Beijing, China
Yan-Qing Guo1, Yilang Tang, Catherine Rice
1Peking University Health Sciences Center, Institute of Mental Health, Beijing, China.
Insights
The Mandarin Chinese Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (CH-ASSQ) effectively identifies autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children. This screening tool shows high accuracy in differentiating ASD from ADHD and childhood-onset schizophrenia in Chinese populations.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Psychometric Validation
Background:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis requires reliable screening tools.
- The Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ) is a validated instrument for ASD screening.
- A Mandarin Chinese translation of the ASSQ (CH-ASSQ) was needed for local applicability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the validity of the Mandarin Chinese translation of the ASSQ (CH-ASSQ).
- To assess the CH-ASSQ's ability to differentiate ASD from other neurodevelopmental disorders in Chinese children.
Main Methods:
- Recruited children diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, COS, and unaffected controls in Beijing.
- Parents completed the CH-ASSQ for their children.
- Statistical analysis, including ROC analysis, was performed on collected data.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD had significantly higher CH-ASSQ scores than all other groups (p < .0001).
- ROC analysis demonstrated high accuracy (AUC=0.957) for differentiating ASD from controls.
- A cutoff score of 12 on the CH-ASSQ achieved 95.7% sensitivity and 82.5% specificity for ASD.
Conclusions:
- The CH-ASSQ is a valid tool for screening ASD in Mandarin Chinese-speaking populations.
- CH-ASSQ successfully differentiates ASD from ADHD and COS.
- This instrument can aid in the early identification of ASD in urban Chinese children.
Background:
This study screened children in Beijing, China, in order to establish the validity of a Mandarin Chinese translation of the ASSQ.
Methods:
We recruited children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) (DSM-IV diagnoses made independently by two senior psychiatrists) and unaffected children attending a public school in Beijing. Their parents were asked to complete the CH-ASSQ.
Results:
Data from the parents of 94 children with ASD (mean age: 81 ± 47 months), 45 with ADHD (106 ± 27 months), 26 with COS (166 ± 36 months), and 120 unaffected control (72 ± 16 months) were collected. The total scores of ASSQ in children with ASD, ADHD, COS, and unaffected controls were 25.3 ± 9.2, 10.4 ± 7.1, 12.2 ± 10.6, and 5.2 ± 6.6 respectively. Total ASSQ scores of children with ASD were significantly higher than in any other group (all p < .0001). ROC analysis of ASD versus unaffected control subjects showed the area under curve was 0.957, with a cutoff of 12 having the maximum sensitivity (0.957) and specificity (0.825).
Conclusions:
Our pilot data suggest that CH-ASSQ successfully differentiates clinically diagnosed ASD patients from unaffected controls, as well as from patients with ADHD and COS. The instrument might therefore be useful for screening for ASD in urban Mandarin Chinese-speaking populations.
