M-CHAT Screening Misses 38% Of High-Risk Toddlers Later Diagnosed With Autism

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT), a widely used screening tool for early detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children ages 16 to 30 months, missed 38% of high-risk toddlers who were later diagnosed with ASD, according to a study of Swedish national health data.

The study analyzed 2,178 high-risk children born between 2013 and 2019 who were screened with the M-CHAT at approximately age 2 and followed through age 9 for ASD diagnosis. High-risk classifications included extremely premature birth, small for gestational age, brain injury, oxygen deprivation at birth, or . . .