Newsweek (9/27, Gander) reported that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers with Follow-Up (M-CHAT/F), “the most widely used screening tool for” autism spectrum disorder (ASD) “is not as accurate as hoped,” researchers concluded after examining the “electronic health records of 25,999 patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, a network encompassing 31 pediatric primary care sites in Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” all of whom underwent M-CHAT/F screening.
Medscape (9/27, Hackethal, Subscription Publication) reported the study revealed that “as conducted, universal screening detected only 38.8% of children who were eventually diagnosed with ASD, and only 14.6% of children who initially screened positive truly had ASD.” What’s more, “accuracy was even lower for minority children, as well as those from homes with lower incomes.” The findings were published online in Pediatrics.
Related Links:
— “Test For Autism Fails Major Hurdle: ‘We Need To Work A Lot Harder To Develop Screening Tools For Autism’, “Kashmira Gander, Newsweek, September 27, 2019