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Development and initial testing of the BABY-BISCUIT in an at-risk population
Johnny L Matson1, Megan M Callahan1, Joshua J Montrenes1
1Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, United States.
Insights
The BABY-BISCUIT is a new, brief autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screener. It shows high sensitivity for early identification, suggesting its potential for further ASD assessment needs.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial for timely intervention.
- Current autism screeners lack consensus due to variable sensitivity and specificity.
- There is a need for brief, effective screening tools for young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate the utility of the BABY-BISCUIT, a novel six-item autism screener.
- To assess the BABY-BISCUIT's performance in a sample of at-risk toddlers.
- To establish the psychometric properties of the BABY-BISCUIT for early ASD detection.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 504 toddlers aged 17-39 months, identified as at-risk.
- Data were collected during annual screenings within the Louisiana EarlySteps program.
- Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the screener's structure.
Main Results:
- Exploratory factor analysis confirmed a one-factor solution for the BABY-BISCUIT.
- The screener demonstrated 100.0% sensitivity for detecting potential ASD.
- Specificity was 33.3% with an optimal cutoff score of 1 (AUC = 0.957).
Conclusions:
- The BABY-BISCUIT shows promise as a short, easily administered screener for autism spectrum disorder.
- Findings suggest the BABY-BISCUIT can help determine the necessity of further ASD assessment.
- Further research is recommended to validate the BABY-BISCUIT against established ASD measures.
Purpose:
Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) via screeners for diagnostic measures are a high priority. At present, there is no consensus on one screener due to the need for better sensitivity and specificity. In this study, we report on the development and utility of the BABY-BISCUIT, a six-item screener based on a modified subset of items from the Baby and Infant Screen for Children with aUtIsm Traits (BISCUIT).
Methods:
A sample of 504 children between 17-3 9months of age, who consisted of toddlers identified as at-risk for neurodevelopmental and other health disorders, were tested during an annual screening through the Louisiana EarlySteps program.
Results:
An exploratory factor analysis yielded a one-factor solution (X2 = 48.62, df = 9, p = <.001). High sensitivity (i.e., 100.0%) at the cost of reduced specificity (i.e., 33.3%, AUC = 0.957) was found for an optimal screening cutoff score of 1.
Conclusions:
Findings from this study suggest that the BABY-BISCUIT has the potential to be a short and easily administered screener for ASD to inform whether further ASD assessment is necessary. Further investigation of convergent validity with established ASD measures is recommended.
