title: [Estimated prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the Canary Islands].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To make an initial estimate of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) among children in the province of Las Palmas (Spain).
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study was conducted on 1,796 children between the ages of 18 and 30 months of age, all part of the Child Health Surveillance of the Canary Islands, more specifically the province of Las Palmas, with a population of 1,090,605. The parents of children involved completed the Spanish version of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT/ES) in the paediatric clinic. The positive cases were then diagnosed by experts by means of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADIR) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 0.61% prevalence of ASDs was determined, similar to that reported in previous studies using the same tools. The ratio was six girls for every five boys. This was contrary to the results of previous studies which suggested more boys than girls were affected. This may have been due to the sample size, which will have to be increased in future studies to confirm this outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An increased sample size and also spread to other age ranges should be used in order to obtain a more reliable estimate of prevalence. As regards the gender ratio, this could be a result of the small size of the sample researched, and should therefore be confirmed by further studies.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Fortea Sevilla
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Escandell Bermúdez
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Castro Sánchez
mesh_terms: D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Autism spectrum disorders; Cuestionario de Desarrollo Comunicativo y Social en la Infancia en su versión española; Detección temprana; Diagnosis; Diagnóstico; Early detection; Prevalence; Prevalencia; Spanish version of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; Trastornos del espectro autista