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Type of Measure: The Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) is a tool that allows for autism spectrum disorder to be detected in toddlers 18-24 months of age. The measure consists of 25 likert-type items, scored on a five point scale (0-4). The scale describes measures a child may or may not engage in. The tool is a modified version of the Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT) that was developed in 2001 as a measure that helped healthcare professionals “red flag” for further diagnostics. Unlike the CHAT, the Q-CHAT contains items on language development, social communication, and repetitive behaviors. via MIDSS

Target Population: Toddlers ages 18-24 months old

Measurement properties and previous use: There have been several studies that have utilized the Q-CHAT. Allison et. al states that the intraclass correlation for test-retest reliability was 0.82 (n = 330). Overall, the study showed that the Q-CHAT is useful in the early identification of the threshold and subthreshold features of autism. The 2012 Q-CHAT-10 study, Allison et. al. showed that at a cut-point of 3 , sensitivity was 0.91, specificity was 0.89, and PPV was 0.58. Additionally, internal consistency was >0.85.

Languages: English, Chinese, French, Dutch, Spanish (Chile), Spanish (Argentina), Israeli, Indonesian, Magyar, Polski, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenski, Svensk

Authors and Citation: Allison, C., Baron-Cohen, S. Wheelwright, S., Charman, T., Richler, J., Pasco, G. and Brayne, C. (2008). 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. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Allison, C. Auyeung, B., Baron-Cohen, S. (2012) Toward Brief “Red Flags” for Autism Screening: The Short Autism Spectrum Quotient and the Short Quantitative Checklist in 1,000 Cases and 3,000 Controls Journal of the American Acad of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

Licence: From their website: “Our tests are posted on our website to enable free access to academic researchers. (from the translations): Intellectual property ownership of tests developed by the ARC rests with the University of Cambridge and the researchers/staff it employs who developed the test. Permission to translate a test is granted by the ARC as author-permission, and it is up to the translator to seek permission from the journal where the test was first published in English if they also wish to obtain the publisher-permission. In many cases, copyright of the test may rest with the publisher. Translations are posted on the ARC website for use for free by researchers world-wide.

Link to measure: Q-CHAT and Q-CHAT-10 items version; Q-CHAT items in article

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