The CBCL 1.5–5 and the identification of preschoolers with autism in Italy

Abstract

Aims.To study the potential use of child behaviour checklist (CBCL) 1.5–5 scales for the early identification of preschoolers at risk of autism.Methods.CBCL scores of three groups of preschoolers were compared: (1) an experimental group of 101 preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); (2) a control group of 95 preschoolers with other psychiatric disorders (OPD); (3) a control group of 117 preschoolers with typical development (TD). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), logistic regression with odds ratio (OR) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed.Results.ANOVA revealed that ASD and OPD had significantly higher scores in almost all CBCL scales than TD. ASD presented significantly higher scores than OPD on Withdrawn, Attention Problems and Pervasive Developmental Problems (PDP) scales. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that these same CBCL scales have validity in predicting the presence of an ASD towards both TD and OPD. ROC analysis indicated high sensitivity and specificity for PDP (0.85 and 0.90) and Withdrawn (0.89 and 0.92) scales when ASD is compared to TD. Specificity (0.60 for PDP and 0.65 for Withdrawn) decreases when comparing ASD and OPDConclusions.The PDP and Withdrawn scales have a good predictive validity so that they could be proposed as a first-level tool to identify preschoolers at risk of autism in primary care settings. Problems regarding the lower specificity when comparing ASDv. OPD are discussed.

MECHANISMS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY: Maternal thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy and behavioural and psychiatric disorders of children: a systematic review

“…Similarly, an increased risk of autism was found in offspring of mothers who had autoimmune thyroiditis during pregnancy (36); however, it was not clear whether the effect took place after birth due to the already transferred placental antibodies or during intrauterine growth. Diagnosis of autism was made by using ICD-10 clinical diagnosis in both studies by Brown et al (36) and Anderson et al (31) while Roman et al (26) used validated parent-reported instruments (CBCL 1.5-5 and SRS) (39). The additional strength of the study by Brown et al (36) is the use of matched controls and the ability to examine a wide range of offspring up to age 20.…”

Zur diagnostischen Relevanz von CBCL und YSR bei Diagnose einer PTBS im Jugendalter

“…Der "Total Problem Score" eignet sich zudem ausgezeichnet als Screening für psychische Erkrankungen des Kindes und Jugendalters [51]. Die Vorgabe der CBCL erwies sich bei der Identifikation einiger psychischer Erkrankungen, wie beispielsweise Autismus-Spektrum-Störung [39], ADHS [21], und Zwangsstörungen [49] als nützlich. Obwohl die CBCL-Skalen nicht zur Erfassung von Dissoziation und PTBS entwickelt worden sind, erscheint die Vorgabe der CBCL und des YSR auch bei PTBS im Sinne eines Breitbandscreenings als sinnvoll.…”

Respuesta a Carta al Editor

“…En ese sentido el CBCL 1.5-5 es uno de los instrumentos para medir la psicopatología más validados en distintos países [2][3][4][5] . Además, la uniformidad de la metodología usada por los investigadores para evaluar las propiedades psicométricas del CBCL ha hecho que la comparación transcultural sea posible 6 .…”