EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER USING M-CHAT R/F SCREENING TOOL AMONG TODDLERS IN PEDIATRIC OUTDOOR CLINIC - A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

INTRODUCTION Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in reciprocal social communication and a tendency to engage in restrictive, repetitive stereotyped patterns of behaviors. Early identification allows for timely interventions that can significantly improve outcome. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of ASD among low-risk young children who attend the pediatric outpatient clinic of a tertiary care center in Pune.   METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted over children aged 16 to 30 months who visited the immunization clinic and pediatric outdoor clinic of a tertiary care center in Pune, Maharashtra. All children were screened for ASD using the internationally validated 2-stage parent reporting M-CHAT-R/F screening tool. All screened-positive toddlers underwent a confirmatory test based on DSM-V, specifically the AIIMS-modified (INCLEN) diagnostic tool for Autism Spectrum Disorder (INDT-ASD). The collected data was analyzed, and the prevalence was determined.   RESULTS 400 children were screened using the 2-stage parent reporting M-CHAT R/F tool, with a median age of 20.5 months (range: 16–30 months). The M-CHAT R scale identified 391 children (97.75%) as low risk and 9 (2.25%) as medium risk. Of the 9 medium-risk children, M-CHAT R/F confirmed 7 as positive (77%) and 2 as negative (23%). ASD diagnosis using INDT-ASD found 6 of the 7 M-CHAT R/F-positive cases (85.5%). Overall, 6 out of 400 children were diagnosed with ASD, indicating a 1.5% prevalence.   CONCULSION This study again confirms that M-CHAT R/F is very useful screening tool and may be adopted by policy makers to use as epidemiological survey tool to early anticipate and take remedial measures after confirming diagnosis