Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher’s Report Form for assessing autism spectrum disorder in preschool-aged children

Abstract

Background

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social, behavioral, and communication impairments with an estimated prevalence of 1 in 68 school-aged children. There is a need for objective and easily applicable instruments for early identification of autistic children to enable initiation of early interventions during a very sensitive period of brain development and, consequently, optimize prognosis. Here, we tested the utility of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Caregiver-Teacher’s Report Form (C-TRF) scales for assessing ASD in Brazil, where ASD screening research is emergent.

Subjects and methods

A total of 70 children (2–5 years old, both sexes) were enrolled, including an ASD group (n=39) and a non-ASD control group (n=31). The preschool versions of the CBCL and C-TRF were applied. The CBCL and C-TRF results were compared between the ASD and non-ASD control groups with Mann–Whitney U tests and receiver operating characteristic analyses.

Results

The CBCL and C-TRF were found to have moderate accuracy for the dimensions withdrawn and autism spectrum problems, and to correlate with each other.

Conclusion

The CBCL and C-TRF may aid in early ASD detection.

Keywords:

• screening
• instruments
• AUC
• early intervention

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the SETI State Secretary of Science, Technology and Superior Education of Paraná (SETI, grant# conv. 07/14).

Author contributions

MLC and TSB conceptualized and designed the study protocol. ACF and TSB did data acquisition. EPGF did all the statistical analyses. MLC and TSB interpreted the findings and wrote the manuscript. MLC performed a critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and was responsible for submitting the final approved manuscript. All authors helped with revising the paper and agreed to be accounted for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.