title: Can the checklist for autism in toddlers differentiate young children with autism from those with developmental delays?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) has been demonstrated to be sensitive to the presence of autism in otherwise normally developing 18-month-old children. However, its ability to differentiate autism from other significant developmental delays is unknown. This study examined this question.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CHAT was applied to a group of 44 children aged 2 and 3 years, rigorously diagnosed with autism or with other developmental problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By the original CHAT authors' criteria, the sensitivity and specificity of the CHAT were 65% and 100%, respectively. Slightly altering the criteria resulted in a sensitivity of 85% in the current group of children with developmental disabilities while maintaining specificity of 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study is the first to demonstrate that the CHAT successfully discriminates 2-year-old children with autism from those with other developmental disorders. In addition, the increased sensitivity of the Denver Criteria in children with developmental disabilities may improve its usefulness as a screening tool for community-based early-diagnostic teams and general practitioners.
authors.affiliation: JFK Partners, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262, USA. doug.scambler@uchsc.edu
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scambler
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Wehner
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires