title: Validation of the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, Mandarin Chinese Version (CH-ASSQ) in Beijing, China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study screened children in Beijing, China, in order to establish the validity of a Mandarin Chinese translation of the ASSQ.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) (DSM-IV diagnoses made independently by two senior psychiatrists) and unaffected children attending a public school in Beijing. Their parents were asked to complete the CH-ASSQ.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data from the parents of 94 children with ASD (mean age: 81 ± 47 months), 45 with ADHD (106 ± 27 months), 26 with COS (166 ± 36 months), and 120 unaffected control (72 ± 16 months) were collected. The total scores of ASSQ in children with ASD, ADHD, COS, and unaffected controls were 25.3 ± 9.2, 10.4 ± 7.1, 12.2 ± 10.6, and 5.2 ± 6.6 respectively. Total ASSQ scores of children with ASD were significantly higher than in any other group (all p < .0001). ROC analysis of ASD versus unaffected control subjects showed the area under curve was 0.957, with a cutoff of 12 having the maximum sensitivity (0.957) and specificity (0.825).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our pilot data suggest that CH-ASSQ successfully differentiates clinically diagnosed ASD patients from unaffected controls, as well as from patients with ADHD and COS. The instrument might therefore be useful for screening for ASD in urban Mandarin Chinese-speaking populations.
authors.affiliation: Peking University Health Sciences Center, Institute of Mental Health, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Qing
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yilang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: Li-Ching
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cubells
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012561:Schizophrenia, Childhood / Q000175:diagnosis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*