TY - JOUR
T1 - How valid is the checklist for autism spectrum disorder when a child has apraxia of speech?
AU - Tierney, Cheryl
AU - Mayes, Susan
AU - Lohs, Sally R.
AU - Black, Amanda
AU - Gisin, Eugenia
AU - Veglia, Megan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2015 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Objective: Our objective was to determine if the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) was inadvertently overemphasizing autism symptoms in a population of children without autism. Methods: Children noted with communication delays were referred to both a developmental pediatrician and a speech and language pathologist for an apraxia and autism evaluation. All children who underwent both autism and apraxia evaluations and met rule-in or rule-out criteria for both diagnoses were included in the study, resulting in a sample size of 30. Results: Our results show that 63.6% of children initially diagnosed with autism also had apraxia, 36.8% of children initially diagnosed with apraxia also had autism, 23.3% had neither, and 23.3% had both. Overall diagnostic accuracy for the CASD was 96.7%. Overall accuracy for the CASD for children without apraxia was 100% and accuracy for children with apraxia was 94.7%. Specificity for the CASD was 100%, while sensitivity was 90.9%. The PPV was 100% and the NPV was 95.0%. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the CASD does not overemphasize autism symptoms in a population of children without autism. It also shows that autism and apraxia are highly comorbid. Thus, it is important to monitor all children diagnosed with apraxia for signs of autism and all children diagnosed with autism for signs of apraxia. This will help identify children as early as possible and allow them access to services appropriate to their needs.
AB - Objective: Our objective was to determine if the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD) was inadvertently overemphasizing autism symptoms in a population of children without autism. Methods: Children noted with communication delays were referred to both a developmental pediatrician and a speech and language pathologist for an apraxia and autism evaluation. All children who underwent both autism and apraxia evaluations and met rule-in or rule-out criteria for both diagnoses were included in the study, resulting in a sample size of 30. Results: Our results show that 63.6% of children initially diagnosed with autism also had apraxia, 36.8% of children initially diagnosed with apraxia also had autism, 23.3% had neither, and 23.3% had both. Overall diagnostic accuracy for the CASD was 96.7%. Overall accuracy for the CASD for children without apraxia was 100% and accuracy for children with apraxia was 94.7%. Specificity for the CASD was 100%, while sensitivity was 90.9%. The PPV was 100% and the NPV was 95.0%. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the CASD does not overemphasize autism symptoms in a population of children without autism. It also shows that autism and apraxia are highly comorbid. Thus, it is important to monitor all children diagnosed with apraxia for signs of autism and all children diagnosed with autism for signs of apraxia. This will help identify children as early as possible and allow them access to services appropriate to their needs.
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U2 - 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000189
DO - 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000189
M3 - Article
C2 - 26114615
AN - SCOPUS:84938338169
SN - 0196-206X
VL - 36
SP - 569
EP - 574
JO - Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
JF - Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
IS - 8
ER -