The added value of the combined use of the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule: Diagnostic validity in a clinical Swedish sample of toddlers and young preschoolers:

The diagnostic validity of the new research algorithms of the Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised and the revised algorithms of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule was examined in a clinical sample of children aged 18–47 months. Validity was determined for each instrument separately and their combination against a clinical consensus diagnosis. A total of N = 268 children (n = 171 with autism spectrum disorder) were assessed. The new Autism Diagnostic Interview–Revised algorithms (research cutoff) gave excellent specificities (91%−96%) but low sensitivities (44%−52%). Applying adjusted cutoffs (lower than recommended based on receiver operating characteristics) yielded a better balance between sensitivity (77%−82%) and specificity (60%−62%). Findings for the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule were consistent with previous studies showing high sensitivity (94%−100%) and alongside lower specificity (52%−76%) when using the autism spectrum cutoff, but better balanced sensitivity (81%−94%) and speci...