Evaluating children suspected of having Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in public health departments of Brazil demands tools created and validated in that country. This study aimed to investigate the preliminar criterion validity of the Protocolo de Observação para Crianças com Suspeita de Transtornos do Espectro do Autismo (PRO-TEA). Thirty children, ages of two to four years old, were divided in three groups (Typical Development, Down syndrome and Autism). The items were examined by 2 independent observers, both unaware of the children’s diagnosis. The reliability of the evaluators was examined with the Kappa coefficient. The items referring to joint attention, symbolic play and repetitive movements of the body discriminated the group with ASD from the control group, are an indication of the potential value of the instrument.
autism; psychological evaluation; validation studies; joint attention