Screening for autism in preterm children with extremely low and very low birth weight

Figures & data

Table 1 Family and child characteristics of the preterm population (age 2 years)

	Mean (SD) or frequency (%)
Maternal
Age at delivery (years)	32.8 (4.5)
Education
– Elementary	0 (0%)
– High school	43 (57.3%)
– University	31 (41.3%)
– Missing data	1 (1.3%)
Paternal
Age at delivery (years)	34.6 (4.77)
Education
– Elementary	0 (0%)
– High school	45 (60%)
– University	26 (34.7%)
– Missing data	4 (5.3%)
Child
Birth weight (grams)	1,033.1 (293.1)
Gestational age (weeks)	28.4 (2.8)
Stay in hospital (days)	68.4 (31.5)
Use of corticoids	18 (24%)

Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.

Table 2 Sensitivity of screening tools in the preterm population (age 2 years)

Screening tool	n	Positive screens	Negative screens
M-CHAT	75	19 (25.3%)	56 (74.7%)
CSBS-DP-ITC	75	26 (34.7%)	49 (65.3%)
ITSP	72	11 (15.3%)	61 (84.7%)

Notes: Cochran’s Q test for all three screening tools: Q=9.07, df=2, P=0.011; paired Wilcoxon sign tests (false discovery rate adjusted for multiple testing) CSBS-DP-ITC versus ITSP (P=0.032).

Abbreviations: n, number of screened children; M-CHAT, Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; CSBS-DP-ITC, Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist; ITSP, Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile.

Table 3 Patterns of agreement among screening tools in the preterm population (age 2 years)

M-CHAT	CSBS-DP-ITC	ITSP	n
0	0	0	41
0	0	1	5
0	1	0	5
0	1	1	3
1	0	0	2
1	1	0	13
1	1	1	3

Abbreviations: M-CHAT, Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers; CSBS-DP-ITC, Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales Developmental Profile Infant-Toddler Checklist; ITSP, Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile; n, frequency of the pattern; 0, negative screening results; 1, positive screening results.