The French Version of the Modified-Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT): A Validation Study on a French Sample of 24 Month-Old Children.

Vanvooren et al. (2017) asked if the French M-CHAT works over the study period-old toddlers. They gave the 23-item parent form to 1,024 low-risk families at regular check-ups. Every screen that failed was re-checked with a short follow-up phone interview. Kids who still failed were sent for full autism evaluation.

Six out of every ten toddlers who stayed positive after the phone call were later diagnosed with ASD. That 60 % hit rate is called positive predictive value. No false negatives were found, meaning the tool did not miss any child who actually had autism.

Gabriels et al. (2001) first showed the English M-CHAT works at 18–24 months. Sophie’s team kept the same items and steps, simply swapping the language—an across-the-pond replication.

Field et al. (2001) added a key lesson: always do the follow-up interview. The French study baked that step in, proving the phone call again cuts needless referrals.

Narzisi et al. (2013) got 90 % accuracy with the CBCL Withdrawn scale. Their numbers look higher, but they studied kids already suspected of autism. Sophie looked at everyday pediatric visits, so a lower hit rate is expected and still useful.

If you serve French-speaking families, you can trust the French M-CHAT at the 24-month visit. A positive screen still needs a follow-up call and full assessment, but six in ten will turn out to have ASD. Build that two-step path into your clinic flow and you will catch kids earlier without flooding diagnosticians.