Screening for Autistic Spectrum in Children Aged 14 to 15 Months. I: The Development of the Early Screening of Autistic Traits Questionnaire (ESAT)

Abstract

This article describes the development of a screening instrument for young children. Screening items were tested first in a non-selected population of children aged 8-20 months (n = 478). Then, parents of children with clinically diagnosed ASD (n = 153, average age 87 months) or ADHD (n = 76, average age 112 months) were asked to score the items retrospectively for when their child was 14 months old. A 14-item screening instrument, Early Screening of Autistic Traits (ESAT) which had maximal sensitivity and specificity for ASD was developed. The sensitivity of the ESAT was checked in an independent sample of 34 children aged 16-48 months clinically diagnosed with ASD. A 4-item version appears to be a promising prescreening instrument.

Stability and change of IQ scores in preschool children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder

“…Screening was done with the Early Screening of Autistic Traits (ESAT) [30], the items of which refer to social development and play behavior. At screen I, the 4-item ESAT was used and completed by parents.…”

Comparative Analysis of Three Screening Instruments for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Toddlers at High Risk

“…The ESAT 1 Swinkels et al 2006) consists of 14 easy-to-administer items measuring early social-communication skills, play and restricted and repetitive behaviour (e.g. eye-contact, facial expressions, interest in others, varied play and sensory interest), to be answered with yes or no.…”

“…These first-level screening instruments are the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT; Baron-Cohen et al 1992;Baron-Cohen et al 2000) and the Early Screening of Autistic Traits Questionnaire (ESAT; Dietz et al 2006;Swinkels et al 2006). The CHAT was developed in order to prospectively identify autism at 18 months of age in a general population sample (Baron-Cohen et al 1992).…”

“…The CHAT assesses 'simple' pretend play and joint attention behaviours using parental report and health practitioner observation through direct testing. The ESAT was developed to prospectively identify autism as early as at 14 months of age in a general population Swinkels et al 2006). Using an empirical bottom-up approach, potential screening items were selected from the literature and tested in a pilot study.…”

“…In addition, empirical evidence with regard to the use of different items for children at different ages is limited. Studies with the CHAT showed that items on pretend play and joint attention are important in screening children aged 18 months (Baron-Cohen et al 1992, whereas findings of the ESAT studies revealed that at 14 months of age items related to: (a) direct smiling (smile directed to others), (b) reacting when spoken to, and (c) interest in other people, are most predictive for ASD Swinkels et al 2006). …”