Screening accuracy of the parent-completed Ages and Stages Questionnaires – second edition as a broadband screener for motor problems in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at risk for motor problems. However, this area is often overlooked in the developmental evaluation in autism diagnostic clinics. An alternative can be to identify children who should receive intensive motor assessment by using a parent-based screener. The aim of the present study was to examine whether the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ-2) may be used to identify gross and fine motor problems in children. High-functioning children with ASD (n=43, 22-54 m) participated in this study. Sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), predictive values, areas under the ROC curve were calculated by comparing the ASQ-2 scores to the developmental evaluation of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scale (PDMS-2). Results revealed that both the ASQ-2 gross and fine motor domain may be used to identify children without motor problems. In contrast, sensitivity analyses revealed the likelihood of under screening motor problems in this population. The ASQ-2 met only the criteria of a fair to good accuracy to identify poor gross motor (SE 100%) and below average fine motor development (SE 71%) in this sample. Hence, the capacity of the ASQ-2 to identify motor problems in preschoolers with ASD appears to be limited. It is recommended to include a formal standardized motor test in the diagnostic procedure for all children with ASD.