CHAT
The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers is a screening tool to be used by GP's during the 18 month developmental checkup.
Section A - Ask Parent:
Yes or No?
1) Does your child enjoy being swung, bounced on your knee, etc?
2) Does your child take an interest in other children?
3) Does your child like climbing on things, such as up stairs?
4) Does your child enjoy playing peek-a-boo/hide-and-seek?
*5) Does your child ever pretend, for
example, to make a cup of tea using a toy cup and teapot, or pretend other
things?
6) Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to ask for
something?
*7) Does your child ever use his/her
index finger to point, to indicate interest in something?
8) Can your child play properly with small toys (e.g. cars or bricks)
without just mouthing, fiddling, or dropping them?
9) Does your child ever bring objects over to you, to show you something?
Section B - GP's observation
Yes or No?
i) During the appointment, has the child made eye contact with you?
*ii)
Get child's attention, then point across the room at an interesting object and
say "Oh look! There's a (name a toy)!" Watch child's face. Does the child
look across to see what you are pointing at?
NOTE - to record yes on this item, ensure the child has not simply looked at your hand, but has actually looked at the object you are pointing at.
*iii) Get the child's attention, then give child a miniature toy cup and teapot and say "Can you make a cup of tea?" Does the child pretend to pour out the tea, drink it etc?
NOTE - if you can elicit an example of pretending in some other game, score a yes on this item
*iv) Say to the child "Where's the light?" or "Show me the light". Does the child point with his/her index finger at the light?
NOTE - Repeat this with "Where's the teddy?" or some other unreachable object, if child does not understand the word "light". To record yes on this item, the child must have looked up at your face around the time of pointing.
v) Can the child build a tower of bricks? (If so, how many?) (Number of bricks...)
* Indicates critical question most indicative of autistic characteristics
---
British Journal of Psychiatry (1996), 168, pp. 158-163
British Journal of Psychiatry (1992), 161, pp. 839-843
Questions and answers about the CHAT
Sally Wheelwright
Department of Experimental Psychology
Downing Street
Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
NOTE:
In England, studies of thousands of children showed that the CHAT, although it accurately identified many cases of autism, was so specific that it failed to detect a majority of cases. The M-CHAT, with looser boundaries and greater sensitivity, is intended to flag even subtle cases. Experts say that it will probably produce more false positives - flagging children who are not actually autistic - but that they prefer to err on the side of caution.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/14/health/14auti.html?pagewanted=3