Bai Miaoshui, Xue Yang, Dong Hanyu, Mohamed Zakaria Ahmed, Jia Feiyong
Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
The Child Health Clinical Research Center of Jilin Province, Changchun, China.
Pediatr Res. 2025 Jan 21. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-03848-x.
Early identification is crucial for children with autism. However, many children are diagnosed later due to the lack of specific assessment tools in primary care settings. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the STAT in screening autism across different age groups while assessing its advantages and limitations.
In total, 434 children aged 14-48 months visiting autism clinics from March to December 2021 were included. Subjects were grouped by age (14-23, 24-36, and 37-48 months) and categorized based on clinical evaluations and STAT results.
In the age groups of 14-23 and 24-36 months, STAT results demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity compared to DSM-5 diagnoses and exhibited better consistency with ADOS-2 results. However, its performance was weaker in the 37-48 months group. False-negative results were associated with less pronounced autistic traits and higher developmental quotients.
STAT presents as a promising level 2 screening tool for early autism identification in China, but its accuracy diminishes in older children with less pronounced autistic traits. These findings emphasize the need for comprehensive assessment strategies for autism diagnosis across different age groups and varying levels of support needs.
This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers (STAT) for early screening of autism across different age groups. It highlights STAT's effectiveness in younger age groups but emphasizes its limitations with older children and those with less pronounced autistic traits. The findings supplement existing literature by providing insights into STAT's utility in diverse populations. The impact lies in guiding clinical practice to improve the identification of autistic characteristics, particularly in resource-limited settings, potentially enhancing early support and outcomes for autistic children.
早期识别对自闭症儿童至关重要。然而，由于基层医疗环境中缺乏特定的评估工具，许多儿童被诊断得较晚。本研究旨在评估婴幼儿自闭症筛查量表（STAT）在不同年龄组筛查自闭症的有效性，同时评估其优势和局限性。
共纳入2021年3月至12月到自闭症诊所就诊的434名14至48个月大的儿童。受试者按年龄分组（14 - 23、24 - 36和37 - 48个月），并根据临床评估和STAT结果进行分类。
在14 - 23个月和24 - 36个月年龄组中，与《精神疾病诊断与统计手册》第五版（DSM - 5）诊断相比，STAT结果显示出高敏感性和特异性，并且与自闭症诊断观察量表第二版（ADOS - 2）结果具有更好的一致性。然而，其在37 - 48个月年龄组中的表现较弱。假阴性结果与自闭症特征不明显和发育商较高有关。
在中国，STAT是一种很有前景的二级自闭症早期识别筛查工具，但在自闭症特征不明显的大龄儿童中其准确性会降低。这些发现强调了针对不同年龄组和不同支持需求水平的自闭症诊断需要综合评估策略。
本研究评估了婴幼儿自闭症筛查量表（STAT）在不同年龄组早期筛查自闭症的有效性。它突出了STAT在较年幼年龄组中的有效性，但强调了其在大龄儿童和自闭症特征不明显儿童中的局限性。这些发现通过提供对STAT在不同人群中效用的见解补充了现有文献。其影响在于指导临床实践以改善自闭症特征的识别，特别是在资源有限的环境中，可能会增强对自闭症儿童的早期支持和改善其预后。
