title: Comparing the use of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the Autism Behavior Checklist protocols to identify and characterize autistic individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the results obtained in the Autism Behavior Checklist with those obtained in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale to identify and characterize children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 28 children with psychiatric diagnosis within the autism spectrum that were enrolled in language therapy in a specialized service. These children were assessed according to the Autism Behavior Checklist and Childhood Autism Rating Scale criteria, based on information obtained with parents and therapists, respectively. Data were statistically analyzed regarding the agreement between responses. Results indicating high or moderate probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist were considered concordant with the results indicating mild-to-moderate or severe autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale. Results indicating low probability of autism in the Autism Behavior Checklist and without autism in the Childhood Autism Rating Scale were also considered concordant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was agreement on most of the responses. Cases in which there was disagreement between results obtained on both protocols corroborate literature data, showing that the instruments may not be sufficient, if applied alone, to define the diagnosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Childhood Autism Rating Scale may not effectively diagnose autistic children, while the Autism Behavior Checklist may result in over- diagnose, including within the autism spectrum children with other disorders. Therefore, the associated use of both protocols is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. thfsantos@usp.br
authors.forename: Thaís Helena Ferreira
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Milene Rossi Pereira
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Ana Gabriela Lopes
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Pimentel
authors.forename: Camila Andrioli
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Lacerda
authors.forename: Juliana Izidro
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Balestro
authors.forename: Cibelle Albuquerque de la Higuera
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.forename: Fernanda Dreux Miranda
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D057189:Checklist / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests