Instrumentos de rastreio para transtorno do espectro autista em crianças: revisão de literatura

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is included among neurodevelopmental disorders and has increasingly gained attention in recent years. The growing number of diagnosed individuals, coupled with the increase in studies on ASD, leads us to emphasize and encourage the habit of early screening, benefiting such atypical patients and expanding the understanding of the family and support network. To identify the most commonly used screening tools for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), describing them in terms of their objectives, mode of application, target audience, age of application, and professional/person skilled in their application. This is a descriptive-analytical Systematic Literature Review (SLR), which uses selected articles from the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), PubMed, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILAC), APA PsycArticles, and Psychology Index journals, between 2019 and 2023, using the following keywords, their combinations in Portuguese and English: Autism; ASD; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Screening tools; Child; Screening. The Boolean terms used were "and" (AND) and "or" (OR). Results: Ten articles that met the eligibility criteria were selected and analyzed, with the following screening tools being identified: Classroom Observation Scale (COS); Questionnaire for Early Signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (QR-TEA); The Infant-Toddler Checklist (ITC); First Year Inventory–Lite Version 3.1b (FYI-L); Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ); Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT); The Modified-Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised, with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F); Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2); Toddler Autism Symptom Inventory (TASI), Autistic Spectrum Disorder Behavior Scale (ASD-BS) and Behavioral Evaluation Protocol for Children Suspected of Autism Spectrum Disorder – Revised (PROTEA-R-NV), which were most cited in the reviewed studies. The results point to a diversity of screening tools for ASD between 2019 and 2023. However, there is no consensus on the best timing for screening, as the cited screening tools are targeted for different age ranges, application forms, and applicators, which can be parents/guardians, teachers, or professionals.