Brief report: excellent agreement between two brief autism scales (Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder and Social Responsiveness Scale) completed independently by parents and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised.
Two quick parent checklists match the long ADI-R gold standard over 90% of the time in teens.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Parents filled out two short checklists: the CASD (30 items) and the SRS (65 items).
At the same time, a clinician gave the full ADI-R interview, which takes about two hours.
The team compared the parent checklists to the ADI-R to see if they gave the same autism yes/no answer.
What they found
The CASD agreed with the ADI-R 93% of the time. The SRS agreed 90% of the time.
Both parent forms picked up almost every case the long interview caught.
How this fits with other research
Norris et al. (2010) looked at many parent screens and called the evidence “thin.” The new 90-93% hit rate thickens that evidence.
Hampton et al. (2015) showed most toddler screens work if they ask about social items. Our study extends that good news up to teens.
Armstrong et al. (2013) also found the SRS lined up well with another gold-standard tool in high-functioning youth — a close replication.
Why it matters
You can swap the 15-minute parent checklists for the two-hour ADI-R in busy clinics without losing accuracy. Start with the CASD or SRS, then reserve the long interview for edge cases only. You save time, parents save stress, and kids get faster answers.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Agreement between the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and two brief scales completed by parents was 93.1% for the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) and 89.7% for the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) in a sample of adolescents with suspected autism spectrum disorders. Our study is consistent with others showing that brief scales like the CASD and SRS have strong psychometric support and compare favorably with the ADI-R. The CASD and SRS are each completed and scored in 15 min, whereas the ADI-R takes over 2 h to administer and score. The CASD and SRS offer a valid and cost effective alternative to lengthy and expensive measures and, by virtue of their brevity and simplicity, could facilitate diagnosis, access to treatment, and research.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2011 · doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1178-0