title: Agreement among four diagnostic instruments for autism spectrum disorders in toddlers.
abstract: Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) can be difficult to diagnose in toddlers. This study compared diagnostic measures (ADOS-G, ADI-R, CARS, and clinical judgment using DSM-IV criteria) applied to toddlers. Results indicated that the ADOS-G, CARS, and clinical judgment agreed with each other but not with the ADI-R. Many of the children classified with ASD by the other measures were not classified with autism by the ADI-R because they did not display enough repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests. These results indicate that young children with ASD may not display repetitive behaviors and stereotyped interests, and for toddlers, the ADI-R would have a higher sensitivity if revised to include a diagnosis of PDD-NOS, for which the requirement of repetitive behaviors is less stringent.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, 406 Babbidge Rd., Storrs, CT 06269-1020, USA. pamela.e.dixon@uconn.edu
authors.forename: Pamela E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Ventola
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.forename: Juhi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Robins
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fein
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires