Tools for Recognizing Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT:

The increased incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is primarily attributed to improvements in the diagnostic process. A key step in this process is the use of tools to recognize early signs. The objective of this research was to identify and describe what has been published about tools for recognizing early signs of ASD, the types of studies in which they appear, and who uses them or for whom they are intended. A systematic literature review was conducted using the search term “Autism Screening Tools” (in Portuguese and English) on the journal platform of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Periódicos CAPES), considering all associated databases. The results identified 60 articles and 48 tools. The most frequently mentioned tools were the M-CHAT (16 articles), followed by the SCQ (eight articles), ADOS-2 (six articles), FYI-L, SRS, and GARS (four articles each). The most investigated population, as expected, were babies aged 12 to 24 months, and the population involved in the application were the researchers of the articles, with the parents being the specified respondents (14 articles). Correlation studies among tools (psychometric validity, with 30 studies) were the most common. Finally, few studies addressed training and the participation of multiple clinical professionals and teachers, for instance, involved in the use of the tool. This review indicates that, despite the number of early ASD screening tools (48), there is still a need for further scientific investigation into their psychometric properties and, most importantly, their clinical applicability.

KEYWORDS:
Tools for recognizing early signs; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Systematic review