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M-CHAT-R/F Validation as a screening tool for early detection in children with autism spectrum disorder
María Elisa Coelho-Medeiros1, Jonathan Bronstein1, Karina Aedo1
1Departamento de Psiquiatría, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile.
Insights
The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F) is a reliable screening tool for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Chile. This validation study confirms its sensitivity and specificity for early ASD detection in Chilean toddlers.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is crucial for timely intervention and improved prognosis.
- The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F) is a widely used screening tool for ASD.
- Cross-cultural validation is essential to ensure the tool's efficacy in diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the M-CHAT-R/F for concurrent and discriminant properties in the Chilean population.
- To assess the reliability of the M-CHAT-R/F in Chilean toddlers.
- To support the use of M-CHAT-R/F in clinical practice and research within Chile.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study involving 20 children with suspected ASD and 100 healthy controls (16-30 months old).
- Administration of the M-CHAT-R/F and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) as the reference standard.
- Calculation of Cronbach's alpha for reliability, and sensitivity and specificity analyses for concurrent and discriminant validation.
Main Results:
- The M-CHAT-R/F demonstrated high reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.889.
- Discriminant validity showed 100% sensitivity and 98% specificity.
- Concurrent validity yielded 100% sensitivity and 87.5% specificity.
Conclusions:
- The Chilean version of the M-CHAT-R/F is reliable, sensitive, and specific, comparable to the original instrument.
- The validated M-CHAT-R/F can be utilized effectively in Chilean clinical settings and research.
- Ongoing validation processes are necessary to further refine the M-CHAT-R/F's application.
Introduction:
Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F) increases early detection, allowing early interventions and improving prognosis. This tool is part of the management in case of suspected ASD in several clinical guidelines. The objective of this article was to conduct the concurrent and discrimi nant validation and the reliability analysis of M-CHAT-R/F in the Chilean population.
Patients And Method:
This is the second stage of the cross-cultural adaptation of cross-sectional design. M-CHAT- R/F was applied to a sample of 20 children with suspected ASD and 100 randomly selected healthy control children, aged between 16-30 months. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS-2), considered as reference, was applied to the 20 patients of the clinical sample, to 20 children of the healthy control sample and to those cases of the healthy control sample with M-CHAT-R/F positive. Cronbach alpha was calculated, as well as M-CHAT-R/F and ADOS-2 correlation, sensitivity, and specificity analyses.
Results:
In the healthy sample, M-CHAT-R/F was positive in two patients, with one of them positive and the other one negative for ASD with ADOS-2 test. In the clinical sample, M- CHAT-R/F was positive in all cases, three of them were negative in the ADOS-2 test. The Alfa relia bility of M-CHART-R/T was 0,889, the discriminant sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 98%, and the concurrent ones were 100% and 87.5% respectively.
Conclusions:
The Chilean M-CHAT- R/F version was reliable, sensitive and specific, similar to the original test, which opens the possibility for its use in clinical samples and for research. Validating M-CHAT-R/F is an ongoing process which must be further developed.
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