OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the value of
autism screening checklists in the early identification of
autism spectrum disorder (ASD).@*
METHODS@#A total of 2 571
children who attended the
Children's
Hospital of Chongqing Medical
University and completed
autism screening and
diagnostic test were enrolled as subjects, among whom 2 074 were diagnosed with ASD, 261 were diagnosed with global developmental delay (GDD), 206 were diagnosed with
developmental language disorder (DLD), and 30 had normal development. The
sensitivity,
specificity, and optimal threshold value of the Modified
Checklist for
Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and the
Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) for the early identification of ASD were evaluated by the
receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.@*RESULTS@#The M-CHAT had a high
sensitivity of 88.3% but a low
specificity of 36.0% for the identification of ASD. Its
sensitivity decreased with age, and was maintained above 80% for
children aged 16 to < 48 months. The ABC had a high
specificity of 87.3% but a low
sensitivity of 27.2%, with an optimal cut-off value of 47.5 based on the
ROC curve analysis. The multivariate
linear regression model based on a combination of the M-CHAT and ABC for
screening of ASD showed a
specificity of 85.8% and a
sensitivity of 56.6%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The M-CHAT has a high
sensitivity and a low
specificity in the identification of ASD, with a better effect in
children aged 16 to < 48 months. The ABC has a high
specificity and a low
sensitivity. The multiple
linear regression model
method based on the combined M-CHAT and ABC to screen ASD appears to be effective.