Sensitivity and Specificity of Developmental Surveillance and Autism Screening in an Australian Multicultural Cohort: The Watch Me Grow Study.

To examine accuracy of two-tiered surveillance to detect developmental disability and autism in a multicultural birth cohort; a subset of the Watch Me Grow Study. Surveillance tools were used at or soon after 18 months of age, including the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), the Age...

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Published in:Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders Vol. 56; no. 10; pp. 4164 - 4175
Main Authors: Bernie, Charmaine, Montgomery, Alicia, Sealy, Louise, Descallar, Joseph, Dissanayake, Cheryl, Jalaludin, Bin, Murphy, Elisabeth, Woolfenden, Sue, Williams, Katrina, Eapen, Valsamma
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Springer Nature Oct2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2026
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        atl: Sensitivity and Specificity of Developmental Surveillance and Autism Screening in an Australian Multicultural Cohort: The Watch Me Grow Study.
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          Bernie, Charmaine
          Montgomery, Alicia
          Sealy, Louise
          Descallar, Joseph
          Dissanayake, Cheryl
          Jalaludin, Bin
          Murphy, Elisabeth
          Woolfenden, Sue
          Williams, Katrina
          Eapen, Valsamma
        affil: https://ror.org/001xkv632 Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Disease Surveillance
          Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis
          Health Screening
          Cultural Diversity New South Wales
          Developmental Disabilities Diagnosis
          Human
          Sensitivity and Specificity
          Infant
          Child, Preschool
          Questionnaires
          Checklists
          Scales
          Funding Source
          New South Wales
          Hospitals, Public New South Wales
          Male
          Female
          Child Development
          Descriptive Statistics
          Infant: 1-23 months
          Child, Preschool: 2-5 years
          Male
          Female
      ab: To examine accuracy of two-tiered surveillance to detect developmental disability and autism in a multicultural birth cohort; a subset of the Watch Me Grow Study. Surveillance tools were used at or soon after 18 months of age, including the Parents' Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS), the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3), and the revised Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT-R/F). Children with and without identified concerns were assessed between 18 and 23 months using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). Sensitivity and specificity of the surveillance tools used in isolation and in combination in this cohort ranged from 51 to 87% (n = 165). Some children (n = 21) who were not identified with high likelihood of difficulties were later assessed as having probable developmental disability. Adding the M-CHAT-R/F did not significantly improve autism likelihood identification in comparison with tiered developmental surveillance. There was highly variable sensitivity and specificity of combined tools for tiered developmental surveillance in this cohort. There remains a need in Australia to improve methods of, and engagement in, developmental screening and surveillance that includes detection of concerns in community and primary healthcare settings.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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