A New Interactive Screening Test for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Toddlers

Abstract

Objective: To develop a clinically valid interactive level 2 screening assessment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in toddlers that is brief, easily administered, and scored by clinicians.

Study design: We describe the development, training, standardization, and validation of the Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T) with ASD-specific diagnostic instruments. The RITA-T can be administered and scored in 10 minutes. We studied the validity of the RITA-T to distinguish between toddlers with ASD from toddlers with developmental delay (DD)/non-ASD in an early childhood clinic. We also evaluated the test's performance in toddlers with no developmental concerns. We identified a cutoff score based on sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of the RITA-T that best differentiates between ASD and DD/non-ASD.

Results: A total of 61 toddlers were enrolled. RITA-T scores were correlated with ASD-specific diagnostic tools (r = 0.79; P < .01) and ASD clinical diagnoses (r = 0.77; P < .01). Mean scores were significantly different in subjects with ASD, those with DD/non-ASD, and those with no developmental concerns (20.8 vs 13 vs 10.6, respectively; P < .0001). At a cutoff score of >14 , the RITA-T had a sensitivity of 1.00, specificity of 0.84, and positive predictive value of 0.88 for identifying ASD risk in a high-risk group.

Conclusion: The RITA-T is a promising new level 2 interactive screening tool for improving the early identification of ASD in toddlers in general pediatric and early intervention settings and allowing access to treatment.