Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) in a Tertiary Care Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Trends in Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Significant delay in ASD diagnosis leads to attempts to simplify diagnosis processes. Therefore, there is a need for tools helping to target complex cases to be referred to a tertiary care centers, in order to avoid two-step assessments. We hypothesized that the Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) might be of help in this triage. The aim of this study is to assess psychometric properties of the AMSE in a high-risk sample of children referred for a suspected autism spectrum disorder and determine optimal cutoff for ASD classification and cutoffs for triage. Patients referred for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) focused assessment were included. Developmental history and clinical observation were recorded. Usual diagnostic tools were used. A best-estimate clinical diagnosis (BECD) was determined. The AMSE was scored a posteriori. Internal consistency was 0.611. Concurrent validity was good. The optimal cutoff for a BECD of ASD was 5. Sensitivity reached 1.00 for a cutoff of 3 and specificity for a cutoff of 10. AMSE has good psychometric properties and can be useful for adequate referring towards diagnostic teams of various level of specialization.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-IV.

  • American Psychiatric Association (Éd.). (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders : DSM-5 (5th ed). Washington DC.

  • Anagnostou, E., Zwaigenbaum, L., Szatmari, P., Fombonne, E., Fernandez, B. A., Woodbury-Smith, M., Brian, J., Bryson, S., Smith, I. M., Drmic, I., Buchanan, J. A., Roberts, W., & Scherer, S. W. (2014). Autism spectrum disorder : Advances in evidence-based practice. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 186(7), 509–519. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.121756

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Arnold, E. B., Howie, F., Collier, A., Ung, D., Nadeau, J., Vaughn, B., Scalli, L., Lewin, A. B., Mutch, P. J., Murphy, T. K., & Storch, E. A. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Autism Mental Status Examination in a pediatric sample. Children’s Health Care, 45(4), 386–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2015.1038718

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betz, E., Hackman, N. M., Mayes, S., Chin, E. M., Ivy, J. W., & Tierney, C. (2019). Validity of the Autism Mental Status Exam in Developmental Pediatrics and Primary Care Settings. Global Pediatric Health, 6, 2333794X1984790. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X19847905

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brian, J. A., Zwaigenbaum, L., & Ip, A. (2019). Standards of diagnostic assessment for autism spectrum disorder. Paediatrics and Child Health, 24(7), 444–451. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxz117

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cederlund, M. (2019). Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE): A valid instrument in the evaluation of pre-school children with suspected autism spectrum disorders? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(7), 2965–2979. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04012-1

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Cussot Charpentier, S., Maffre, T., Raynaud, J.-P., & Grodberg, D. (2014). Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) étude préliminaire en population ciblée pour la validation d’un outil de dépistage/diagnostic des Troubles du Spectre Autistique. European Psychiatry, 29(S3), 597–597. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpsy.2014.09.192

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delobel-Ayoub, M., Saemundsen, E., Gissler, M., Ego, A., Moilanen, I., Ebeling, H., Rafnsson, V., Klapouszczak, D., Thorsteinsson, E., Arnaldsdóttir, K. M., Roge, B., Arnaud, C., & Schendel, D. (2020). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in 7–9-year-old children in Denmark, Finland, France and Iceland : A Population-Based Registries Approach Within the ASDEU Project. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(3), 949–959. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04328-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Galdino, M. P., Pegoraro, L. F. L., Saad, L. O., Grodberg, D., & Celeri, E. H. R. V. (2020). Evidence of validity of the Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) in a Brazilian sample. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(7), 2320–2325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3530-0

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garfin, D. G., & McCallon, D. (1988). Validity and reliability of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale with autistic adolescents. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 18(3), 367–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212193

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gotham, K., Risi, S., Pickles, A., & Lord, C. (2007). The autism diagnostic observation schedule : Revised algorithms for improved diagnostic validity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(4), 613–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0280-1

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grodberg, D., Weinger, P. M., Kolevzon, A., Soorya, L., & Buxbaum, J. D. (2012). Brief report : The Autism Mental Status Examination: Development of a brief autism-focused exam. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(3), 455–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1255-4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grodberg, D., Weinger, P. M., Halpern, D., Parides, M., Kolevzon, A., & Buxbaum, J. D. (2014). The Autism Mental Status Exam : Sensitivity and specificity using DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder in verbally fluent adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(3), 609–614. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1917-5

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grodberg, D., Siper, P., Jamison, J., Buxbaum, J. D., & Kolevzon, A. (2016). A simplified diagnostic observational assessment of autism spectrum disorder in early childhood : A simplified diagnostic observational assessment. Autism Research, 9(4), 443–449. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1539

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haute Autorité de Santé. (2018). Trouble du spectre de l’autisme : Signes d’alerte, repérage, diagnostic et évaluation chez l’enfant et l’adolescent. https://www.has-sante.fr/upload/docs/application/pdf/2018-02/trouble_du_spectre_de_lautisme_de_lenfant_et_ladolescent__recommandations.pdf

  • Johnson, C. P., Myers, S. M., Council on Children With Disabilities. (2007). Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1183–1215. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-2361

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Le Couteur, A., Rutter, M., Lord, C., Rios, P., Robertson, S., Holdgrafer, M., & McLennan, J. (1989). Autism diagnostic interview : A standardized investigator-based instrument. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19(3), 363–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02212936

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loomes, R., Hull, L., & Mandy, W. P. L. (2017). What is the male-to-female ratio in autism spectrum disorder? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 56(6), 466–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2017.03.013

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., Goode, S., Heemsbergen, J., Jordan, H., Mawhood, L., & Schopler, E. (1989). Austism diagnostic observation schedule : A standardized observation of communicative and social behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19(2), 185–212. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211841

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., & Le Couteur, A. (1994). Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised : A revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24(5), 659–685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Risi, S., Lambrecht, L., Cook, E. H., Jr., Leventhal, B. L., DiLavore, P. C., Pickles, A., & Rutter, M. (2000). The Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic : A standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(3), 205–223. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005592401947

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maenner, M. J., Shaw, K. A., Baio, J., Washington, A., Patrick, M., DiRienzo, M., Christensen, D. L., Wiggins, L. D., Pettygrove, S., Andrews, J. G., Lopez, M., Hudson, A., Baroud, T., Schwenk, Y., White, T., Rosenberg, C. R., Lee, L.-C., Harrington, R. A., Huston, M., & Dietz, P. M. (2020). Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 years—Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 Sites, United States, 2016. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 69(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6904a1

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • McDonnell, C. G., DeLucia, E. A., Hayden, E. P., Penner, M., Curcin, K., Anagnostou, E., Nicolson, R., Kelley, E., Georgiades, S., Liu, X., & Stevenson, R. A. (2020). Sex differences in age of diagnosis and first concern among children with autism spectrum disorder.Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 1‑11. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2020.1823850

  • Øien, R. A., Siper, P., Kolevzon, A., & Grodberg, D. (2016). Detecting autism spectrum disorder in children with ADHD and social disability. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(7), 1078–1084. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054716642518

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Øien, R. A., Vambheim, S. M., Hart, L., Nordahl-Hansen, A., Erickson, C., Wink, L., Eisemann, M. R., Shic, F., Volkmar, F. R., & Grodberg, D. (2018). Sex-differences in children referred for assessment : An exploratory analysis of the Autism Mental Status Exam (AMSE). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(7), 2286–2292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3488-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salomone, E., Charman, T., McConachie, H., & Warreyn, P. (2016). Child’s verbal ability and gender are associated with age at diagnosis in a sample of young children with ASD in Europe. Child: Care, Health and Development, 42(1), 141–145. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12261

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schopler, E., Reichler, R. J., DeVellis, R. F., & Daly, K. (1980). Toward objective classification of childhood autism : Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 10(1), 91–103.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, K. A., Maenner, M. J., Baio, J., EdS1, Washington, A., Christensen, D. L., Wiggins, L. D., Pettygrove, S., Andrews, J. G., White, T., Rosenberg, C. R., Constantino, J. N., Fitzgerald, R. T., Zahorodny, W., Shenouda, J., Daniels, J. L., Salinas, A., Durkin, M. S., & Dietz, P. M. (2020). Early identification of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 4 years—early autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, six sites, United States, 2016. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 69(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6903a1

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, S. S., & Cicchetti, D. V. (1985). Diagnostic Uses of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 10(2), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/10.2.215

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, S. S., Cicchetti, D. V., & Balla, D. A. (2005). Vineland-II Adaptive Behavior Scales : Survey Forms Manual. AGS Publishing.

  • Tillmann, J., Ashwood, K., Absoud, M., Bölte, S., Bonnet-Brilhault, F., Buitelaar, J. K., Calderoni, S., Calvo, R., Canal-Bedia, R., Canitano, R., De Bildt, A., Gomot, M., Hoekstra, P. J., Kaale, A., McConachie, H., Murphy, D. G., Narzisi, A., Oosterling, I., Pejovic-Milovancevic, M., & Charman, T. (2018). Evaluating sex and age differences in ADI-R and ADOS scores in a large European multi-site sample of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(7), 2490–2505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3510-4

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • van’t Hof, M., Tisseur, C., van Berckelear-Onnes, I., van Nieuwenhuyzen, A., Daniels, A. M., Deen, M., Hoek, H. W., & Ester, W. A. (2021). Age at autism spectrum disorder diagnosis : A systematic review and meta-analysis from 2012 to 2019. Autism, 25(4), 862–873. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320971107

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Volkmar, F., Siegel, M., Woodbury-Smith, M., King, B., McCracken, J., & State, M. (2014). Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 53(2), 237–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2013.10.013

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehouse AJO, Evans K, Eapen V, & Wray J. (2018). A national guideline for the assessment and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in Australia. Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism, Brisbane.

  • World Health Organization. (1992). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders : Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Health Organization. (2019). International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems (11th éd.). https://icd.who.int/. Accessed 13 Aug 2022

  • Zwaigenbaum, L., & Penner, M. (2018). Autism spectrum disorder : Advances in diagnosis and evaluation. BMJ, k1674. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1674

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Psychiatrie de l’enfant et de l’adolescent, AP-HP, Hôpital Universitaire Necker-Enfants Malades, 149, Rue de Sèvres, 75015, Paris, France

    Maryse Pagnier & Pauline Chaste

  2. Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France

    Maryse Pagnier

  3. AFPA, French Association of Ambulatory Pediatricians, Orléans, France

    Maryse Pagnier

  4. Laboratoire de Bioinformatique Clinique, Université Paris Cité, Inserm UMR 1163, Institut Imagine, F-75015, Paris, France

    Pauline Chaste

Authors
  1. Maryse Pagnier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pauline Chaste
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

M.P. managed the literature searches, designed the study and conducted data collection, did statistical analyses and data interpretation, and wrote the manuscript. P.C. conducted a critical review of the manuscript and proposed revisions. Both approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maryse Pagnier.

Ethics declarations

Ethics

This study involving human participants was conducted retrospectively from data obtained for clinical purposes. All procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Accordingly, participants' informed consent was not needed for this study using archival data.

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no conflict of interest relevant to this article to disclose.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 446 KB)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pagnier, M., Chaste, P. Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Autism Mental Status Examination (AMSE) in a Tertiary Care Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis. Trends in Psychol. 32, 21–42 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-022-00234-y

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-022-00234-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation