Diagnostic value of a screening test for health care workers to identify autism spectrum disorders in young children

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication, as well as limited and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The prevalence of this pathology in the world, including in the Republic of Belarus, is steadily increasing, which requires the development of unified methods for its early diagnosis by healthcare specialists of various profiles.
Objective. To evaluate the diagnostic value of a new test for healthcare workers to identify ASD in young children in outpatient healthcare organizations of the Republic of Belarus.
Materials and methods. In 2023—2024 1984 children were examined using a screening test for healthcare workers to determine the presence and severity of signs of autism spectrum disorders in young children. The survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, ROC analysis, and calculation of the main diagnostic characteristics of the test.
Results. It was found that the new test has a high diagnostic value (AUC = 0.9952; 95 % CI (0.9911—0.9985)) with an optimal cutoff of 33 points. The sensitivity of the test was 98.44 %, specificity — 95.47 %. Positive predictive value — 42.00 %, negative predictive value — 99.95 %.
Conclusion. The developed test is a highly effective tool for screening ASD in young children and can be recommended for widespread implementation in the practice of outpatient healthcare organizations.

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