Measuring Developmental Delays: Comparison of Parent Report and Direct Testing.

Purpose: Developmental assessment is part of a comprehensive autism evaluation. During in-person evaluations, developmental assessment is completed via direct testing by an examiner. In telehealth evaluations, developmental assessment relies on caregiver-report instruments.

Development of a Novel Telemedicine Tool to Reduce Disparities Related to the Identification of Preschool Children with Autism.

The wait for ASD evaluation dramatically increases with age, with wait times of a year or more common as children reach preschool. Even when appointments become available, families from traditionally underserved groups struggle to access care. Addressing care disparities requires designing identification tools and processes specifically for and with individuals most at-risk for health inequities.

A Randomized Trial of the Accuracy of Novel Telehealth Instruments for the Assessment of Autism in Toddlers.

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.

Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020.

Problem/condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Period Covered: 2020.

Description Of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network is an active surveillance program that estimates prevalence and characteristics of ASD and monitors timing of ASD identification among children aged 4 and 8 years.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2020.

Problem/condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Period Covered: 2020.

Description Of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is an active surveillance program that provides estimates of the prevalence of ASD among children aged 8 years.

Statewide county-level autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates-seven U.S. states, 2018.

Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence information is necessary for identifying community needs such as addressing disparities in identification and services.

Methods: Seven Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network sites participated in a pilot project to link statewide health and education data to generate statewide and county-level prevalence estimates for a broader age range for their states for the first time.

Results: Statewide prevalence of ASD for ages 3-21 years in 2018 ranged from 1.

Screening, Diagnosis, and Intervention for Autism: Experiences of Black and Multiracial Families Seeking Care.

Purpose: Despite advances in screening and awareness, Black and multiracial families continue to experience challenges when seeking an autism diagnosis for their children.

Methods: We surveyed 400 Black and multiracial families of young children with autism from an existing research database in the United States about their retrospective diagnostic experiences. We gathered quantitative and qualitative data and engaged in iterative coding to understand timing and content of first concerns, families' experiences of care providers and systems, and the impact of race and culture on accessing care.

Black Families' Experiences of Developmental Screening: Review of Well-Child Visits to Inform Enhanced Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk Assessment.

Objective: Black families face barriers to early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most work emphasizes systemic delays to diagnosis rather than how existing screening procedures may affect identification. Our goal was to examine pediatric care visits in which screening was most likely to occur to document behaviors of parents and providers.

Early Identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 4 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2018.

Problem/condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Period Covered: 2018.

Description Of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network is an active surveillance program that estimates ASD prevalence and monitors timing of ASD identification among children aged 4 and 8 years.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2018.

Problem/condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Period Covered: 2018.

Description Of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network conducts active surveillance of ASD.

Toward Novel Tools for Autism Identification: Fusing Computational and Clinical Expertise.

Barriers to identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in young children in a timely manner have led to calls for novel screening and assessment strategies. Combining computational methods with clinical expertise presents an opportunity for identifying patterns within large clinical datasets that can inform new assessment paradigms. The present study describes an analytic approach used to identify key features predictive of ASD in young children, drawn from large amounts of data from comprehensive diagnostic evaluations.

Parent Perceptions of Caregiver-Mediated Telemedicine Tools for Assessing Autism Risk in Toddlers.

Telemedicine tools have potential for increasing access to diagnostic services for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Past work has utilized tele-assessment procedures in which remote psychologists observe administration of interactive screening instruments by trained, on-site providers. Although promising, this approach relies on two clinicians, limiting its efficiency and scalability.

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2016.

Problem/condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Period Covered: 2016.

Description Of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is an active surveillance program that provides estimates of the prevalence of ASD among children aged 8 years whose parents or guardians live in 11 ADDM Network sites in the United States (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin).

A population-based examination of maltreatment referrals and substantiation for children with autism spectrum disorder.

Children with disabilities experience elevated rates of maltreatment, but little is known about the interaction of children with autism spectrum disorder with child protection systems. A population-based dataset of 24,306 children born in 2008 in Tennessee, which included 387 children with autism spectrum disorder identified through the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring network, was linked with state child protection records. Rates of maltreatment referrals, screening for further action, and substantiated maltreatment were examined for children with versus without autism spectrum disorder.

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder Among Children Aged 8 Years - Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014.

Problem/condition: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Period Covered: 2014.

Description Of System: The Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network is an active surveillance system that provides estimates of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among children aged 8 years whose parents or guardians reside within 11 ADDM sites in the United States (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin).

Using the M-CHAT-R/F to Identify Developmental Concerns in a High-Risk 18-Month-Old Sibling Sample.

Objective: Given the high autism spectrum disorder (ASD) recurrence risk in younger siblings, it is important to identify early ASD markers within this high-risk population. Although there is increasing evidence that the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised, with Follow-Up Interview can identify many low-risk children during the second year of life, there has yet to be a study of how the M-CHAT-R/F functions in a high-risk sibling population at very young ages.

Methods: As part of a larger population-based study, the authors screened 74 infant siblings with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers-Revised, with Follow-Up Interview at 18 months and assessed diagnoses between the ages of 18 and 43 months.

Brief report: can metrics of reporting bias enhance early autism screening measures?

The goal of the current study was to develop and pilot the utility of two simple internal response bias metrics, over-reporting and under-reporting, in terms of additive clinical value within common screening practices for early detection of autism spectrum disorder risk. Participants were caregivers and children under 36 months of age (n = 145) participating in first-time diagnostic appointments across our clinical research center due to developmental concerns. Caregivers were asked to complete the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) as well as a questionnaire embedding six response bias indicator questions.

The diagnosis of autism in community pediatric settings: does advanced training facilitate practice change?

The increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder and documented benefits of early intensive intervention have created a need for flexible systems for determining eligibility for autism-specific services. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a training program designed to enhance autism spectrum disorder identification and assessment within community pediatric settings across the state. Twenty-seven pediatric providers participated in regional trainings across a 3.

Brief report: DSM-5 "levels of support:" a comment on discrepant conceptualizations of severity in ASD.

Proposed DSM-5 revisions to the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) include a "severity" marker based on degree of impairment. Although qualitative differences between support levels are described, quantitative methods or practice recommendations for differentiating between levels remain undetermined. This leaves the field vulnerable to potential discrepancies between severity categorizations that may have inadvertent service implications.

The behavioral phenotype in MECP2 duplication syndrome: a comparison with idiopathic autism.

Alterations in the X-linked gene MECP2 encoding the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 have been linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Most recently, data suggest that overexpression of MECP2 may be related to ASD. To better characterize the relevance of MECP2 overexpression to ASD-related behaviors, we compared the core symptoms of ASD in MECP2 duplication syndrome to nonverbal mental age-matched boys with idiopathic ASD.

Brief report: Service implementation and maternal distress surrounding evaluation recommendations for young children diagnosed with autism.

There is limited evidence surrounding the ability of families of children with autism spectrum disorders to access and implement recommended interventions following diagnosis. The distress a family may encounter with regard to inability to access recommended services is also poorly understood. In this study, we present preliminary data regarding implementation of clinical recommendations following autism spectrum disorder diagnosis as well as associations of implementation with maternal functioning.

Relationship satisfaction, parenting stress, and depression in mothers of children with autism.

Mothers of children with autism report higher levels of depression than mothers of children with other developmental disabilities. We explored the relations between child characteristics of diagnostic severity and problem behaviors, parenting stress, relationship quality, and depressive symptoms in 70 mothers of young children with autism. We hypothesized that relationship quality and parenting stress would relate to maternal depression beyond contributions of child characteristics.

Accuracy of phenotyping children with autism based on parent report: what specifically do we gain phenotyping "rapidly"?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is considered among the most heritable of all neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, but identification of etiologically significant genetic markers and risk variants has been hampered by a lack of sufficiently large samples. Rapid phenotyping procedures, where self-report measures are used instead of extensive clinical assessment, have been proposed as methods for amassing large genetic databases due to their hypothesized time-efficiency and affordability. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of potential rapid phenotyping procedures using the Social Communication Questionnaire and the Social Responsiveness Scale in a sample of 333 children who also received extensive phenotypic assessments.