Validity of the Autism Mental Status Exam in Developmental Pediatrics and Primary Care Settings

• Published in: Global pediatric health Vol. 6; p. 2333794X19847905
• Main Authors: Betz, Eugenia, Hackman, Nicole M., Mayes, Susan, Chin, Eric M., Ivy, Jonathan W., Tierney, Cheryl
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 2019; Sage Publications Ltd; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Autism; Original; Primary care; Autism; Pediatric Primary Care; Autism Mental Status Exam; Early Autism Screening
• ISSN: 2333-794X; 2333-794X
• DOI: 10.1177/2333794X19847905

The Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE) is a brief clinician-completed observational instrument that has shown promise in identifying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a referred sample. Our study explores the feasibility of the AMSE in both developmental pediatric and primary care samples. Fifty-three toddlers with ASD and other disabilities were scored using the AMSE and compared with 55 typically developing toddlers. AMSE scores differed significantly between ASD, non-ASD developmental disability, and neurotypical groups. A cutoff score on the AMSE of ≥5 for ASD maximized sensitivity (81.2%) and specificity (90.5%). Score differences between groups suggest that the AMSE may be useful in a clinical setting to help identify children with possible ASD.