Development and validation of DSM-5 based diagnostic tool for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorder-IV (DSM-IV) TR based INCLEN Diagnostic Tool for Autism Spectrum Disorder (INDT-ASD) is an established instrument for the diagnosis of ASD in Indian subcontinent and low-middle income countries (LMIC). The introduction of DSM-5 necessitated revision of existing INDT-ASD tool to incorporate the DSM-5 related changes. This study was undertaken to develop and validate the DSM-5 based All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Modified-INDT-ASD Tool. The modifications were done using Delphi method and included: (a) rearrangement of questions from the previous tool; and (b) addition of new questions on sensory symptoms. The modified tool was validated against DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. In addition, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the cut-off for total score as compared to Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) score to grade the severity of ASD. Two-hundred-twenty-five children (159 boys, median age = 47months) were enrolled. The modified tool demonstrated sensitivity of 98.4% and specificity of 91.7% to diagnose ASD. A score ≥14 on the tool was suggestive of severe ASD (CARS>36.5) with a sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 80.7% respectively [Area under the curve = 0.89]. AIIMS-Modified-INDT-ASD Tool is a simple and structured instrument based on DSM-5 criteria which can facilitate diagnosis of ASD with acceptable diagnostic accuracy.