Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2009 Apr;154(4):535-540.e1.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.10.011. Epub 2009 Jan 29.

Positive screening on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in extremely low gestational age newborns

Karl C K Kuban  1 , T Michael O'Shea, Elizabeth N Allred, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Donald J Goldstein, Alan Leviton
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Positive screening on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in extremely low gestational age newborns

Karl C K Kuban et al. J Pediatr. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that children born preterm are more likely to screen positive on the M-CHAT for an autism spectrum disorder.

Study design: We compared the M-CHAT positive rate of those with cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment, and vision and hearing impairments to those without such deficits.

Results: Relative to children who could walk, the odds for screening positive on the M-CHAT were increased 23-fold for those unable to sit or stand independently and more than 7-fold for those requiring assistance to walk. Compared with children without a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, those with quadriparesis were 13 times more likely to screen positive, and those with hemiparesis were 4 times more likely to screen positive. Children with major vision or hearing impairments were 8 times more likely to screen positive than those without such impairments. Relative to those with a Mental Development Index (MDI) of >70, the odds for screening positive were increased 13-fold for those with an MDI of <55 and more than 4-fold for those with an MDI of 55 to 69.

Conclusions: Major motor, cognitive, visual, and hearing impairments appear to account for more than half of the positive M-CHAT screens in extremely low gestational age newborns. Even after those with such impairments were eliminated, 10% of children--nearly double the expected rate--screened positive.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sample description.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Johnson FW. Biological factors and psychometric intelligence: a review. Genet Soc Gen Psychol Monogr. 1991;117(3):313–57. - PubMed
    1. Robins D, Fein D, Barton M, Green J. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: An initial study investigating the early detection of autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2001;31:131–151. - PubMed
    1. Kleinman JM, Robins DL, Ventola PE, Pandey J, Boorstein HC, Esser EL, et al. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: A Follow-up Study Investigating the Early Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 2007 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kuban K, Allred Elizabeth N, O’Shea TM, Paneth N, Pagano M, Dammann O, Marshall D, Soul JS, Engelke S, O’Connor SE, Gilmore H, Duplessis A, Krishnamoorthy K, Hahn C, Miller K, Church PT, Keller C, Bream R, Adair R, Miller AR, Omano E, Bassan H, Milowic K, Hubbard C, Washburn L, Dillard R, Heller C, Burdo-Hartman W, Fagerman L, Sutton D, Karna P, Olomu N, Caldarelli L, Oca M, Lohr K, Scheiner A, Khwaha O, Stine C, SacGilvray SS, Buckwald S, Caine V, Leviton A. An algorithm for identifying and classifying cerebral palsy in young children. Journal of Pediatrics. 2008 In Press. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Larsson HJ, Eaton WW, Madsen KM, Vestergaard M, Olesen AV, Agerbo E, et al. Risk factors for autism: perinatal factors, parental psychiatric history, and socioeconomic status. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2005;161(10):916–25. discussion 926–8. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms