Accuracy of Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in Detecting Autism and Other Developmental Disorders in Community Clinics

• Main Authors: Toh, Teck‑Hock, Tan, Vivian Wee-Yen, Lau, Peter Sie-Teck, Andrew, Kiyu
• Format: E-Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer New York LLC. 2017
• Subjects: RJ101 Child Health. Child health services
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/18696/7/Accuracy%20of%20Modified%20Checklist%20for%20Autism%20in%20Toddlers%20%28abstract%29.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/18696/; https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85028764085&doi=10.1007%2fs10803-017-3287-x&partnerID=40&md5=21bce2407197b8b1e43b4420d274861b

This study determined the accuracy of Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in detecting toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disorders (DD) in community mother and child health clinics. We analysed 19,297 eligible toddlers (15–36 months) who had M-CHAT performed in 2006–2011. Overall sensitivities for detecting ASD and all DD were poor but better in the 21 to <27 months and 27–36-month age cohorts (54.5–64.3%). Although positive predictive value (PPV) was poor for ASD, especially the younger cohort, positive M-CHAT helped in detecting all DD (PPV = 81.6%). This suggested M-CHAT for screening ASD was accurate for older cohorts (>21 months) and a useful screening tool for all DD.