International Meeting for Autism Research (London, May 15-17, 2008): COMPARING SCREENING INSTRUMENTS BASED ON CHILD CARE WORKERS' VERSUS PARENT'S EVALUATION OF SIGNS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN TODDLERS

COMPARING SCREENING INSTRUMENTS BASED ON CHILD CARE WORKERS' VERSUS PARENT'S EVALUATION OF SIGNS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS IN TODDLERS

Friday, May 16, 2008
Champagne Terrace/Bordeaux (Novotel London West)
11:30 AM
M. Dereu , Developmental Disorders, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
R. Raymaekers , Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Research Group Developmental Disorders, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
M. Meirsschaut , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
G. Pattyn , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
P. Warreyn , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
I. Schietecatte , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
H. Roeyers , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Background: Early identification of ASD is necessary for early intervention which leads to improved developmental outcomes. To improve early detection of ASD in Flanders, we constructed a screening instrument that can be used by child care workers: the CESDD.
Objectives: To evaluate the use of child care workers as informants in the screening for ASD
Methods: As part of a larger screening project, we obtained for some children scores on the CESDD as well as on a parent questionnaire: ESAT (N = 304; mean age = 22 months; M:F = 1:1), M-CHAT (N = 680; mean age = 21 months; M:F = 1:1) or SCQ (N = 142; mean age = 26 months; M:F = 1:1). Before filling out the CESDD, the child care workers received a 3-hour training.
Results: When we compared the total scores on the CESDD with those of the parent questionnaires, all correlations were rather low but significant: Kendall’s tau was .285 (p<.001), .082 (p=.018) and .201 (p=.002) for the correlation with respectively the ESAT, M-CHAT and SCQ. Chi-square analyses of the contingency of positive and negative screens on the different measures also revealed a significant association between the reports of both informants. When we compared the CESDD with the ESAT, M-CHAT and SCQ, we became respectively a chi-square of 21.296 (p<.001), 15.037 (p<.001) and 11.780 (p=.001). The signs that were most reported for the children who screened positive on the CESDD were absence of showing (63%) and pointing (53.4 %) whereas these signs were seldom reported by parents.
Conclusions: These results support the training of child care workers in recognising signs of ASD and the inclusion of their observations in the early detection of ASD.