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| Domain | Essential study features for interpretability: general for disability and autism screening | Additional criteria for interpretability for screening that targets children under 18 months | Recommended for consistency across studies |
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| Sample/participants | Level 1: large population studies needed; track at least a subset of representative screen negatives to determine true and false negatives so that accurate Se and Sp can be calculated.
Report demographic characteristics. | | Report inclusion/exclusion criteria related to other risks or other disabilities; consider % of preterm/low birthweight; suggest to exclude significant sensory, motor, and known genetic diagnoses. |
Level 2: smaller (not population level) high-risk samples acceptable.
Level 2: include samples matched on cognitive level or compare DD to ASD at outcome.
Report demographic characteristics. | Level 2: include samples matched on cognitive level and/or compare DD to ASD on outcomes. | Report inclusion/exclusion criteria related to other risks or other disabilities; see above. |
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| Screening instrument | Make administration of instrument as close as possible to how it would be used in a community setting. | | |
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| Reference standard | Evaluations based on DSM criteria; in-person BED preferable. | | |
| Evaluators must be blind to screening status of participants. | | |
| 24-month-old diagnoses may be unstable in a minority of children; 36-month diagnosis is more reliable. | 24-month-old diagnoses may be unstable in a minority of children; 36-month diagnosis is more reliable. | |
| Include and define other disability outcomes. | | Define other disability outcomes consistently; consider global delay, language delay, typical development, and other disabilities. |
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| Timing and flow | Demonstrate a “clear path” between screening outcomes and scores and reference standard diagnosis. | | |
| Describe attrition. | | |
| No study to date has followed children up for diagnosis after the concurrent study age or at age of 3 years. It will be important for future studies to confirm longer-term diagnostic status. | | |
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| Evaluation and performance | Important to examine age groups separately; preferably in 6-month groupings up to 3 years of age. | Very important to examine young age groups separately, especially below 12 months versus 12–18 months versus 18–24 months. | Very important to examine young age groups separately, especially below 12 months versus 12–18 months versus 18–24 months. |
| Very important to describe developmental level of children detected with screener. | | Very important to describe developmental level of children detected with screener. |
| Account for different levels of ASD severity. | | |
| Describe other disability outcomes for false positives. | | |
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