Purpose: Telemedicine approaches to autism (ASD) assessment have become increasingly common, yet few validated tools exist for this purpose. This study presents results from a clinical trial investigating two approaches to tele-assessment for ASD in toddlers. Methods: 144 children (29% female) between 17 and 36 months of age (mean = 2.5 years, SD…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder present with difficulties in social communication, restricted interests or behaviors and other co-morbidities. About 2 to 10% of cases of autism have a genetic cause, and Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is reported in 0 to 6.5% of individuals with autism. However, the FXS and premutation prevalence among Filipino…

Feasible and accurate assessment tools developed for non-specialists are needed to scale community-based models of autism evaluation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate use of the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children (STAT) when used by primary care practitioners (n = 10) across a statewide system of early diagnosis set…

Currently, no culturally and linguistically adapted autism screening tools are available in South Africa. The aim was to determine the reliability and concurrent validity of the adapted English and Northern Sotho-translated Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers--Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F). Reliability was confirmed with near-perfect…

We examined the correlation between interviewer-administered Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale II (VABS-II) and the parent-rated Adaptive Behavior Assessment System II (ABAS-II) questionnaire in 352 participants (ages 1.5-20.8 years) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to determine if ABAS could be used as a screen to reduce the number of VABS…

Background: In addition to symptoms of neurodevelopmental disorders, functional impairment is crucial to the determination of clinical significance. The aim of this study was to examine partial validity and usefulness of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire's (SDQ) impact supplement (SDQ impact) in measuring functional impairment in…

Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder often co-occur, challenging timely, and accurate diagnosis. We assessed the performance of three parent-report measures in discriminating autism spectrum disorder from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder without autism spectrum disorder (ADHD[subscritpt w/oASD])…

The study refers to the social aspect of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and focuses on pro-social behaviour that has a positive effect on social adaptability. The first goal of the study was to determine whether there is a gap in prosocial-behaviour between children with High-Functioning ASD (HFASD) and children with typical-development; and…

Autism spectrum disorder symptom emergence is heterogeneous, yet literature comparing young children diagnosed early versus later is relatively scant. Toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder between 12 and 18 months (n = 20), 19 and 24 months (n = 65), or 25 and 41 months (n = 27) were compared on demographics, developmental functioning,…

Background: Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). They are often diagnosed later than other children in part due to difficulty differentiating ASD-related impairment from that associated with DS. The psychometric properties of the Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Mental Retardation Scale (PDD-MRS) were…

This study examines the construct validity of the First-Year Inventory 2.0 with respect to other established instruments in a sample of high-risk infant siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The First-Year Inventory 2.0 is a parent-report screening instrument designed to identify 12-month-old infants at risk for an eventual diagnosis…

This study aimed to assess the validity and normative statistics of the Farsi version of the Social Responsiveness Scale-2 (SRS-2). Among the mainstream elementary schools, 191 boys and 342 girls with a mean age of 9.46 (+ 1.72) years were recruited. Teachers and parents completed the SRS-2. The parents also answered the Social Communication…

Anxiety symptomatology is frequently reported in autistic children, and the prevalence of anxiety disorder is estimated at around 40%. However, most studies have focused upon children of age 8 years or above, so little is known about early signs of anxiety in younger children with autism. This study sought to describe anxiety-related…

Cooperation between preschools and parents is one key dimension of pedagogical quality in early childhood education and care (ECEC). We examined the structural characteristics of ECEC that predict preschool cooperation activities and how they are associated with children's language and social-emotional skills at the age of 3. The results are based…

The Mobile Autism Risk Assessment (MARA) is a new, electronically administered, 7-question autism spectrum disorder (ASD) screen to triage those at highest risk for ASD. Children 16 months-17 years (N = 222) were screened during their first visit in a developmental-behavioral pediatric clinic. MARA scores were compared to diagnosis from the…