Psychometric properties of Autism Spectrum Disorders Screening Assessment Tools: Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Due to the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), these children must be screened as soon as possible and receive the necessary and appropriate treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine all the ASD screening tools and examine their psychometric properties in available languages.Methods: This was a systematic review using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to review the articles published between 2000 and 2023 and were published in PubMed, EMBASE, ProQuest, and Scopus databases. English keywords were as follows: autism spectrum disorders (ASD), screening/screen, tools, psychometric properties, validity, reliability, translations, pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), and children. The COnsensus -based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist were used to investigate the psychometric properties of the studies.Results: Among the 476 primary studies, 35 ASD screening tools (132 articles related to the psychometric properties of 35 ASD screening tools in different languages) were identified based on our criteria, and their psychometric properties were examined. Various tools, including performance-based, direct observation, interactive play, and parent and teacher reports tools, were included in the list of tools.Conclusion: Considering that each of these tools has advantages and limitations, they need to be selected and used according to the goals of the researchers and the therapists. Another important point is that many of these tools still need more extensive studies in relation to their psychometric properties.