Reliability and validity of the Autism Screen for Kids and Youth.
The 30-item ASKY parent screener accurately flags ASD in kids 4-18 years old, giving BCBAs a quick tool to catch missed older clients.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested a new 30-question parent form called the Autism Screen for Kids and Youth (ASKY). They gave it to the children, some with ASD and some without.
Parents circled yes or no about social play, routines, and sensory quirks. Kids also took the ADOS so the researchers knew who truly had autism.
What they found
ASKY caught 92-93 % of the children who had ASD. It wrongly flagged 22-28 % of the kids who did not have ASD.
Scores stayed stable when parents filled it out again weeks later. A cut-off of 13 worked best for both little kids and teens.
How this fits with other research
De Kegel et al. (2016) showed the CBCL gives too many false alarms for autism. ASKY fixes that problem by using autism-only items instead of broad behavior problems.
Posserud et al. (2009) proved the older ASSQ works well for 7-young learners. ASKY now widens the age door down to 4 and up to 18 with one short form.
Meimei et al. (2022) found telehealth screens can hit the same sensitivity range. ASKY’s paper version gives you a ready tool while you wait for tech rollout.
Why it matters
If you serve school-age kids or teens, keep ten ASKY forms in your bag. A parent can finish it in the lobby while you set up. Score 13 or higher and you have a clear, brief reason to recommend a full evaluation. You will miss fewer older clients who first come in for behavior issues but actually need autism services.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
It is important that autistic children be diagnosed as early as possible so their needs can be met and their families can gain important insights into their behavior and interact with them appropriately. However, very few autism screening instruments are appropriate for children who have outgrown early childhood. The Autism Screen for Kids and Youth (ASKY) presents parents of children aged 4-18 years with 30 items that relate to autistic behaviors as defined by the current clinical diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (DSM-5 ASD). We evaluated the Hebrew instrument's performance on 167 autistic and non-autistic children and adolescents. We found that the ASKY algorithm correctly identified 92% of the autistic individuals as "probable ASD" and correctly identified 72% of the non-autistic individuals as "probable non-ASD," with these classifications showing excellent stability over time. Using total questionnaire score instead of the algorithm improved the ASKY's ability to correctly identify autistic individuals as "probable ASD" and non-autistic individuals as "probable non-ASD" to 93% and 78%, respectively. Overall, the ASKY is a promising instrument for ASD screening of older children.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2023 · doi:10.1177/13623613221149542