Operationalisation of the European Protocol for Autism Prevalence (EPAP) for Autism Spectrum Disorder Prevalence...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Public Health Research

Background:

• The European Autism Information System (EAIS) project identified significant gaps in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence data across Europe.
• A standardized protocol was needed to enable consistent screening and diagnosis of ASD in children throughout the EU.

Purpose of the Study:

• To operationalize and pilot the EAIS protocol for screening ASD in a national school population.
• To assess the feasibility of using the EAIS protocol in a non-clinical, educational setting.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 7,951 Irish national school children aged 6-11 years was screened.
• The Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) was utilized as a first-level screening instrument within the EAIS protocol framework.
• Screening was conducted in a non-clinical, national school environment.

Main Results:

• The study successfully demonstrated the implementation of the EAIS protocol in screening national school children for ASD.
• The feasibility of using the SCQ as a screening tool within this protocol in Irish schools was established.
• Data on the screening of 7,951 children (54% male, 46% female) were collected.

Conclusions:

• The EAIS protocol can be effectively operationalized for nationwide ASD screening in school-aged children.
• This approach provides a foundation for more reliable and systematic data collection on ASD prevalence in Europe.
• The study validates the use of the SCQ within the EAIS framework for initial ASD screening in educational settings.