title: Brief report: the Autism Mental Status Examination: development of a brief autism-focused exam.
abstract: The Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) described here is an eight-item observational assessment that prompts the observation and recording of signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The AMSE is intended to take place seamlessly in the context of a clinical exam and produces a total score. Subjects were independently administered the AMSE and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). The ADOS was used to estimate the most effective criterion cut-off on the AMSE. A score of five or greater produced excellent sensitivity and good specificity in a high-risk sample. Internal consistency was acceptable and inter-rater reliability was good to excellent. Preliminary findings indicate excellent classification accuracy and suggest that the AMSE provides a rapid and reliable observational assessment in a high-risk population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA. David.Grodberg@mssm.edu
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Grodberg
authors.forename: Paige M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Weinger
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kolevzon
authors.forename: Latha
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soorya
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Buxbaum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires