자폐스펙트럼장애와 기타 신경발달장애 및 일반발달 영유아의 변별에서 K-CARS2-ST의 유용성

초록

This study examined the clinical utility of the Korean Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition-Standard Version (K-CARS2-ST) in discriminating autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and typically developing (TD) young children aged 2-6 years. A total of 539 participants, including 212 with ASD and 327 controls (NDD and TD), were analyzed. Independent samples t-tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to examine group differences and determine the optimal cutoff scores. Significant group differences were found in both total and subscale scores. The optimal cutoff for the total score was 28.5, demonstrating excellent discrimination (sensitivity = .925, specificity = .939, area under the curve [AUC] = .976). The Social Communication and Interaction Deficits subscale (cutoff = 13, AUC = .937) and the Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors and Sensory Abnormalities subscale (cutoff = 15, AUC = .960) also showed excellent discrimination. This discriminative power remained robust across additional analyses of control group composition, inclusion of suspected ASD cases, age, and developmental and cognitive levels. These findings suggest that using both total and subscale scores provide clinically useful information for differential classification of ASD in young children by symptom domain.

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