Drexel University, USA.
Kennedy Krieger Institute & Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA.
Autism. 2023 Oct;27(7):2112-2123. doi: 10.1177/13623613231154728. Epub 2023 Feb 14.
This study examined a widely used autism screening tool, the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised, with Follow-Up to identify differences in screening for autism between toddler males and females. Examining sex differences in screening for autism in toddlerhood is important as it determines who will be referred for evaluations and receive diagnoses, which is critical for access to autism-specific early intervention. This study found that females were less likely to screen positive and be invited for evaluations compared with males. Females at high likelihood for autism were less likely to be diagnosed with autism, which decreases confidence in the screener's results. Importantly, the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised, with Follow-Up accurately identified both males and females with autism. Future research should examine ways to improve accuracy in screening results for females.
本研究考察了一种广泛使用的自闭症筛查工具——改良婴幼儿自闭症检查表修订版及随访版，以确定男童和女童自闭症筛查之间的差异。在婴幼儿期筛查自闭症时，研究性别差异很重要，因为这决定了谁将被推荐进行评估并接受诊断，这对获得自闭症特定的早期干预至关重要。本研究发现，与男童相比，女童筛查阳性并被邀请进行评估的可能性较小。自闭症高风险的女童被诊断为自闭症的可能性较低，这降低了对筛查结果的信心。重要的是，改良婴幼儿自闭症检查表修订版及随访版准确地识别出了自闭症男童和女童。未来的研究应探讨如何提高女性筛查结果的准确性。
