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Journal article
The Impact of Using Standardized Autism Screening on Referral to Specialist Evaluation for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum – A Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
14 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Objective
We tested whether the implementation of standardized, high-fidelity screening for autism during routine well-child check-ups results in the following: increasing the number of children with suspected autism referred to diagnostic evaluation; lowering the age at which they are referred; and facilitating autism diagnosis for children across a more diverse range of demographic backgrounds and clinical presentations, including those with subtle manifestations.
Method
As part of a multi-site cluster randomized trial, pediatric practices were randomly assigned to an experimental condition involving training and supervision in the universal, standardized, high-fidelity implementation of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F), or a usual care condition. Children in both conditions identified as having a high likelihood of autism during well-child visits were referred to a diagnostic evaluation conducted by clinicians naive to referral source.
Results
Children referred to the diagnostic evaluation from the practices in the experimental condition were more numerous (n = 186) and younger (mean age = 20.65 months) than those referred from the practices in the usual care condition (n = 39; mean age = 23.58 months). Children referred by experimental practices who received an autism diagnosis had milder clinical presentations across measures of cognitive, language, adaptive, and social–communication functioning, compared to those referred from usual care practices. Demographic characteristics were similar across groups.
Conclusion
Standardized, high-fidelity implementation of autism screening during pediatric well-child visits facilitates the identification of children with high autism likelihood at a younger age, including those presenting with more subtle clinical manifestations.
Metrics
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3 citations in Scopus
Details
- Title
- The Impact of Using Standardized Autism Screening on Referral to Specialist Evaluation for Young Children on the Autism Spectrum – A Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial
- Creators
- Giacomo Vivanti (Corresponding Author) - Drexel University, Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Publication Details
- Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); A.J. Drexel Autism Institute
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85208018594
- Other Identifier
- 991021906505704721
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