Protocol - Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders - Child
- Adaptive Behavior/Adaptive Function
- Intelligence Scale - 16 to 90 years
- Intelligence Scale - 2 years, 6 months to 7 years, 7 months
- Intelligence Scale - 6 to 16 years 11 months
- Intelligence Scale - Birth to 3.5 years
- Nonverbal Reasoning
- Scale of Developmental Domains of Early Childhood
- Spatial Reasoning - Adolescents and Adults
Description
The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST), also known as the Social and Communication Development Questionnaire, is a 37-question, parent-report instrument. It is based on a variety of behavioral descriptions of the core features of the autism spectrum (social impairments, communication impairments, and repetitive or stereotyped behaviors) from the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10), and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV).
Specific Instructions
None
Availability
Protocol
Please read the following questions carefully, and indicate the appropriate answer.
1. Does s/he join in playing games with other children easily?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
2. Does s/he come up to you spontaneously for a chat?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
3. Was s/he speaking by 2 years old?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
4. Does s/he enjoy sports?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
5. Is it important to him/her to fit in with the peer group?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
6. Does s/he appear to notice unusual details that others miss?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
7. Does s/he tend to take things literally?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
8. When s/he was 3 years old, did s/he spend a lot of time pretending (e.g., play-acting being a superhero, or holding teddy’s tea parties)?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
9. Does s/he like to do things over and over again, in the same way all the time?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
10. Does s/he find it easy to interact with other children?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
11. Can s/he keep a two-way conversation going?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
12. Can s/he read appropriately for his/her age?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
13. Does s/he mostly have the same interests as his/her peers?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
14. Does s/he have an interest which takes up so much time that s/he does little else?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
15. Does s/he have friends, rather than just acquaintances?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
16. Does s/he often bring you things s/he is interested in to show you?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
17. Does s/he enjoy joking around?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
18. Does s/he have difficulty understanding the rules for polite behavior?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
19. Does s/he appear to have an unusual memory for details?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
20. Is his/her voice unusual (e.g., overly adult, flat, or very monotonous)?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
21. Are people important to him/her?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
22. Can s/he dress him/herself?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
23. Is s/he good at turn-taking in conversation?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
24. Does s/he play imaginatively with other children, and engage in role-play?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
25. Does s/he often do or say things that are tactless or socially inappropriate?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
26. Can s/he count to 50 without leaving out any numbers?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
27. Does s/he make normal eye-contact?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
28. Does s/he have any unusual and repetitive movements?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
29. Is his/her social behavior very one-sided and always on his/her own terms?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
30. Does s/he sometimes say "you" or "s/he" when s/he means "I"?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
31. Does s/he prefer imaginative activities such as play-acting or story-telling, rather than numbers or lists of facts?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
32. Does s/he sometimes lose the listener because of not explaining what s/he is talking about?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
33. Can s/he ride a bicycle (even if with stabilizers)?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
34. Does s/he try to impose routines on himself/herself, or on others, in such a way that it causes problems?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
35. Does s/he care how s/he is perceived by the rest of the group?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
36. Does s/he often turn conversations to his/her favorite subject rather than following what the other person wants to talk about?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
37. Does s/he have odd or unusual phrases?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
SPECIAL NEEDS SECTION
Please complete as appropriate
38. Have teachers/health visitors ever expressed any concerns about his/her development?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
If Yes, please specify..................................................................................................
39. Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the following?
Language delay
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Hyperactivity/Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD)
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Hearing or visual difficulties
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Autism Spectrum Condition, including Asperger’s Syndrome
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
A physical disability
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
Other (please specify)…………………………………………..
Scoring Instructions
Score "1" if the respondent answers "No" to questions 1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 27, 31, and 35. Score "1" if the respondent answers "Yes" to questions 6, 7, 9, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 36, and 37. Sum all "1’s" to get a total score. Maximum score possible is 31, cut-off currently is 15 for possible ASD or related social-communication difficulties. Questions that are not scored are controls.
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
Requirement Category | Required |
---|---|
Major equipment | No |
Specialized training | No |
Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self- or proxy-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Child
Participants
Parent report for a child 3-11 years old.
Selection Rationale
The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST) was selected because it is a relatively low-burden, parent-reported protocol that covers the various domains of the spectrum and has been used in a large twin study in the United Kingdom.
Language
Chinese, English, Spanish, Other languages available at source
Standards
Standard | Name | ID | Source |
---|---|---|---|
Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) | Autism disorders child proto | 62740-6 | LOINC |
Human Phenotype Ontology | Autistic behavior | HP:0000729 | HPO |
caDSR Form | PhenX PX120903 - Symptoms Of Autism Spectrum Disorders Child | 5974482 | caDSR Form |
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Expert Review Panel 4 (ERP 4) reviewed the measures in the Neurology, Psychiatric, and Psychosocial domains.
Guidance from ERP 4 included the following:
- Revised description of measure
Protocol Name from Source
The Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST)
Source
Scott, F., Baron-Cohen, S., Bolton, P., & Brayne, C. (2002). The CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test): Preliminary development of UK screen for mainstream primary-school children. Autism, 6(1), 9-31.
General References
American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC), Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network Surveillance Year 2006 Principal Investigators. (2009). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders-Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 58(10), 1-20.
O’Nions, E., Tick, B., Rijsdijk, F., Happé, F., Plomin, R., Ronald, A., & Viding, E. (2015). Examining the genetic and environmental associations between autistic social and communication deficits and psychopathic callous-unemotional traits. PLoS ONE, 10(9), e0134331.
Scott, F., Baron-Cohen, S., Bolton, P., & Brayne, C. (2002). The CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test): Preliminary development of UK screen for mainstream primary-school children. Autism, 6(1), 9-31.
Taylor, M. J., Robinson, E. B., Happé, F., Bolton, P., Freeman, D., & Ronald, A. (2015). A longitudinal twin study of the association between childhood autistic traits and psychotic experiences in adolescence. Molecular Autism, 6, 44.
Williams, J., Scott, F., Stott, C., Allison, C., Bolton, P., Baron-Cohen, S. & Brayne, C. (2005). The CAST (Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test): Test accuracy. Autism, 9(1), 45-68.
Protocol ID
120903
Variables
Export VariablesVariable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
---|---|---|---|---|
PX120903_Care_How_Perceived | ||||
PX120903350000 | Does s/he care how s/he is perceived by the more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Chat_Spontaneously | ||||
PX120903020000 | Does s/he come up to you spontaneously for a chat? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Conversation_Turn_Taking | ||||
PX120903230000 | Is s/he good at turn-taking in conversation? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Count_To_Fifty | ||||
PX120903260000 | Can s/he count to 50 without leaving out any more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Diagnosed_ADHD | ||||
PX120903390200 | Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the more | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Diagnosed_Autism_Spectrum | ||||
PX120903390400 | Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the more | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Diagnosed_Language_Delay | ||||
PX120903390100 | Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Diagnosed_Other | ||||
PX120903390600 | Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the more | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Diagnosed_Physical_Disability | ||||
PX120903390500 | Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the more | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Diagnosed_Visual_Hearing_Difficulties | ||||
PX120903390300 | Has s/he ever been diagnosed with any of the more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Difficulty_With_Polite_Behavior | ||||
PX120903180000 | Does s/he have difficulty understanding the more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Does_Not_Explain_Topic | ||||
PX120903320000 | Does s/he sometimes lose the listener more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Dominating_Interest | ||||
PX120903140000 | Does s/he have an interest which takes up so more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Easy_Interact_Other_Children | ||||
PX120903100000 | Does s/he find it easy to interact with more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Engage_In_Role_Play | ||||
PX120903240000 | Does s/he play imaginatively with other more | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Enjoy_Joking_Around | ||||
PX120903170000 | Does s/he enjoy joking around? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Enjoy_Repetition | ||||
PX120903090000 | Does s/he like to do things over and over more | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Enjoy_Sports | ||||
PX120903040000 | Does s/he enjoy sports? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Friends_Or_Acquaintances | ||||
PX120903150000 | Does s/he have friends, rather than just more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Get_Dressed | ||||
PX120903220000 | Can s/he dress him/herself? | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Imagination_Or_Facts | ||||
PX120903310000 | Does s/he prefer imaginative activities such more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Important_To_Fit_In | ||||
PX120903050000 | Is it important to him/her to fit in with more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Join_Games | ||||
PX120903010000 | Does s/he join in playing games with other more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Keep_Conversation_Going | ||||
PX120903110000 | Can s/he keep a two-way conversation going? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Make_Eye_Contact | ||||
PX120903270000 | Does s/he make normal eye-contact? | Variable Mapping | ||
PX120903_Notice_Details | ||||
PX120903060000 | Does s/he appear to notice unusual details more | N/A | ||
PX120903_One_Sided_Social_Behavior | ||||
PX120903290000 | Is his/her social behavior very one-sided more | N/A | ||
PX120903_People_Are_Important | ||||
PX120903210000 | Are people important to him/her? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Pretending_At_Age_Three | ||||
PX120903080000 | When s/he was 3 years old, did s/he spend a more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Reads_At_Age_Level | ||||
PX120903120000 | Can s/he read appropriately for his/her age? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Redirects_Conversation | ||||
PX120903360000 | Does s/he often turn conversations to more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Repetitive_Movements | ||||
PX120903280000 | Does s/he have any unusual and repetitive more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Ride_Bicycle | ||||
PX120903330000 | Can s/he ride a bicycle (even if with more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Same_Interests_As_Peers | ||||
PX120903130000 | Does s/he mostly have the same interests as more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Self_Imposed_Routines | ||||
PX120903340000 | Does s/he try to impose routines on more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Share_Things | ||||
PX120903160000 | Does s/he often bring you things s/he is more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Socially_Inappropriate_Behavior | ||||
PX120903250000 | Does s/he often do or say things that are more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Speaking_By_Two | ||||
PX120903030000 | Was s/he speaking by 2 years old? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Take_Things_Literally | ||||
PX120903070000 | Does s/he tend to take things literally? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Teacher_Concerns | ||||
PX120903380000 | Have teachers/health visitors ever expressed more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Teacher_Concerns_Specify | ||||
PX120903380100 | Have teachers/health visitors ever expressed more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Unusual_Memory_For_Details | ||||
PX120903190000 | Does s/he appear to have an unusual memory more | N/A | ||
PX120903_Unusual_Phrases | ||||
PX120903370000 | Does s/he have odd or unusual phrases? | N/A | ||
PX120903_Unusual_Voice | ||||
PX120903200000 | Is his/her voice unusual (e.g., overly more | N/A | ||
PX120903_You_Or_I | ||||
PX120903300000 | Does s/he sometimes say you or s/he when more | N/A |
Measure Name
Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Release Date
May 12, 2010
Definition
A questionnaire to assess autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group of developmental problems that includes autism, Asperger’s syndrome, Rett syndrome, and the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders Not Otherwise Specified. ASD is characterized by a lack of social interaction, difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior (APA, 2000).
Purpose
This measure is used to screen an individual for the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240 children, with an average of 1 in 110 children, in the United States have an ASD (CDC, 2009). Autism displays a familial pattern because first-order relatives of those with ASD are at greater risk for autism and other developmental problems than the general population (APA, 2000).
Keywords
Psychiatric, Asperger’s syndrome, social impairment, repetitive behavior, Rett syndrome, communication disability
Measure Protocols
Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
---|---|
120901 | Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders - Adult |
120902 | Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders - Adolescent |
120903 | Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders - Child |
Publications
There are no publications listed for this protocol.