title: Can child care workers contribute to the early detection of autism spectrum disorders? A comparison between screening instruments with child care workers versus parents as informants.
abstract: Several screening instruments for ASD in young children were developed during the last decades. Only few studies compare the discriminative power of these instruments in the same sample. In particular comparisons of instruments that use different informants are scarce in young children. The current study compared the discriminant ability of the Checklist for Early Signs of Developmental Disorders (CESDD) filled out by child care workers with that of frequently used parent questionnaires in a sample of 357 children between 5.57 and 48.13 months old who showed signs of ASD or language delay. The discriminant power of the CESDD was as good as that of parent questionnaires. Therefore, inclusion of child care workers in the early detection of ASD seems promising.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Research Group Developmental Disorders, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. mieke.dereu@ugent.be
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dereu
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Raymaekers
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Warreyn
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schietecatte
authors.forename: Mieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meirsschaut
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roeyers
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers; D057189:Checklist; D002654:Child Care; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010290:Parents; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires