Psychometric Properties of Persian Version of Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT)

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Autism Research Group, Behavioral Sciences Research Center AND Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 PhD Candidate, Department of Psychology and Education of Children with Special Needs, School of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 PhD Candidate, Department of Psychology, School of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

4 PhD Student, Department of Counseling, School of Psychiatry and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

5 PhD Candidate, Psychosomatic Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: The increasing rate of autism spectrum disorder highlights the need for early screening with the aim to provide early intervention. This study aimed to provide Persian version of Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) and assess its psychometric properties such as validity and reliability.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with psychometric design on 318 children (97 with and 221 without autism) selected from training specialized centers for autism children and psychology clinics in Isfahan City, Iran during the years 2016-2017. The subjects were chosen according to inclusion criteria using convenience sampling method. The using scale was Persian version of CHAT. To determine its reliability, Cronbach's alpha method was used; and to test the construct, concurrent, and discriminate validity, factor analysis and its correlation with Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), Pervasive Developmental Disorders Screening Test-Second Edition (PDDST-II), and Psychiatric diagnosis were used. The data were analyzed using correlation, factor analysis, discriminant analysis, logistic regression, and linear regression.Findings: The Cronbach's alpha was 0.88, and the correlation of items with total scores ranged from 0.35 to 0.71. Concurrent validity, by correlations with M-CHAT, PDDST-II, and psychiatric diagnosis, was 0.6, 0.79, and 0.57, respectively. Factor analysis revealed 2-factor structure (social-emotional and interactive behavior), and discriminant analysis in the cutoff point 2.5, delineated the sensitivity of 67% and the specificity of 91%.Conclusion: The Persian version of CHAT, as a preliminary screening tool for 18-24-month-old children with autism, is capable of proper psychometric values. However, newborns who are at risk should be reassessed again several months after the age of 24 month.

Keywords

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5TM. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 2013.
  2. Betancur C. Etiological heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorders: more than 100 genetic and genomic disorders and still counting. Brain Res 2011; 1380: 42-77.
  3. Landrigan PJ. What causes autism? Exploring the environmental contribution. Curr Opin Pediatr 2010; 22(2): 219-25.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years - autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 sites, United States, 2010. MMWR Surveill Summ 2014; 63(2): 1-21.
  5. Soto S, Linas K, Jacobstein D, Biel M, Migdal T, Anthony BJ. A review of cultural adaptations of screening tools for autism spectrum disorders. Autism 2015; 19(6): 646-61.
  6. Howlin P, Asgharian A. The diagnosis of autism and Asperger syndrome: findings from a survey of 770 families. Dev Med Child Neurol 1999; 41(12): 834-9.
  7. Kamio Y, Inada N, Koyama T, Inokuchi E, Tsuchiya K, Kuroda M. Effectiveness of using the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers in two-stage screening of autism spectrum disorder at the 18-month health check-up in Japan. J Autism Dev Disord 2014; 44(1): 194-203.
  8. Herlihy L, Knoch K, Vibert B, Fein D. Parents' first concerns about toddlers with autism spectrum disorder: effect of sibling status. Autism 2015; 19(1): 20-8.
  9. Baron-Cohen S, Allen J, Gillberg C. Can autism be detected at 18 months? The needle, the haystack, and the CHAT. Br J Psychiatry 1992; 161: 839-43.
  10. Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Cox A, Baird G, Charman T, Swettenham J, et al. Early identification of autism by the CHecklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT). J R Soc Med 2000; 93(10): 521-5.
  11. Scambler D, Rogers SJ, Wehner EA. Can the checklist for autism in toddlers differentiate young children with autism from those with developmental delays? J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2001; 40(12): 1457-63.
  12. Scambler DJ, Hepburn SL, Rogers SJ. A two-year follow-up on risk status identified by the checklist for autism in toddlers. J Dev Behav Pediatr 2006; 27(2 Suppl): S104-S110.
  13. Allison C, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Charman T, Richler J, Pasco G, et al. The Q-CHAT (Quantitative CHecklist for Autism in Toddlers): a normally distributed quantitative measure of autistic traits at 18-24 months of age: preliminary report. J Autism Dev Disord 2008; 38(8): 1414-25.
  14. Robins DL, Fein D, Barton ML, Green JA. The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers: an initial study investigating the early detection of autism and pervasive developmental disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2001; 31(2): 131-44.
  15. Albores-Gallo L, Roldan-Ceballos O, Villarreal-Valdes G, Betanzos-Cruz BX, Santos-Sanchez C, Martinez-Jaime MM, et al. M-CHAT Mexican Version Validity and Reliability and Some Cultural Considerations. ISRN Neurol 2012; 2012: 408694.
  16. Eaves RC, Williams TO Jr. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the pervasive developmental disorders rating scale for young children with autistic disorder. J Genet Psychol 2006; 167(1): 65-92.
  17. Eaves RC, Campbell HA, Chambers D. Criterion-Related and construct validity of the pervasive developmental disorders rating scale and the autism behavior checklist. Psychol Schs 2000; 37(4): 311-21.
  18. Eaves RC, Williams TO, Woods-Groves S, Fall AM. Reliability and Validity of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders Rating Scale and the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities 2006; 41(3): 300-9.
  19. Robins L, Casagrande K, Barton M, Chen A, Dumont-Mathieu T, Fein D. Validation of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F). Pediatrics 2013; 133(1): 37-44.
  20. Carakovac M, Jovanovic J, Kalanj M, Rudic N, Aleksic-Hil O, Aleksic B, et al. Serbian Language version of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised, with Follow-Up: Cross-Cultural adaptation and assessment of reliability. Sci Rep 2016; 6: 38222.
  21. Baron-Cohen S, Cox A, Baird G, Swettenham J, Nightingale N, Morgan K, et al. Psychological markers in the detection of autism in infancy in a large population. Br J Psychiatry 1996; 168(2): 158-63.
  22. Mohammadian M, Zarafshan H, Mohammadi MR, Karimi I. Evaluating Reliability and Predictive Validity of the Persian Translation of Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT). Iran J Psychiatry 2015; 10(1): 64-70.
  23. Inada N, Koyama T, Inokuchi E, Kuroda M, Kamio Y. Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Modified Checklist for autism in toddlers (M-CHAT). Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 2011; 5(1): 330-6.
  24. Glascoe FP. Developmental screening. Wolraich M. Disorders of Development & Learning: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Management. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 1996.
Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 37, Issue 524 - Serial Number 524
March and April 2019
Pages 419-426

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 03 January 2019
  • Revise Date: 26 May 2024
  • Accept Date: 06 April 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics