Use of a teacher nomination strategy to screen for autism spectrum disorders in general education classrooms: a pilot study.

Researchers asked 12 general-ed teachers to pick any kids they thought might have autism.

Each teacher spent about 15 minutes filling out a simple checklist.

The picks were then checked against the long ASSQ form that takes 3-5 hours per class.

Teacher picks matched the ASSQ 93-a large share of the time.

The short form caught almost every child the long form flagged.

Teachers saved hours and still got the right names.

Heyvaert et al. (2010) got the same good numbers when day-care staff used the CESDD on toddlers.

Lubomirska et al. (2022) later showed preschool teachers can do the same with the 3-scenario SoROS.

Roll (2005) warned that most Asperger rating scales are weak; this pilot shows a bare-bones teacher pick can still work.

You can trust a teacher’s gut plus a 15-minute form to screen whole classrooms. No long tests. No pull-outs. Just hand the checklist to the teacher, collect it, and move the flagged kids to the next step. Try it during your next universal screening window.