Development of a Brief Parent-Report Screen for Common Gastrointestinal Disorders in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The screen was developed in the same sample used to define the diagnoses, and it has not yet been tested in an independent ASD sample. Functional diarrhea had very few cases: the screen caught 5 of 6 cases, so the estimate rests on a small number. Two of 131 children were missing parent questionnaire data and were excluded from screen development. Parents of nonparticipants were less likely to have a college degree, so the families in the study may not represent all families. Missing questionnaire items were treated as 'no' responses, which could have made some screens negative when complete data might have been positive. The study used Rome III wording, not Rome IV criteria. The screen for any GI disorder had low specificity: only 43.4% of children without a disorder were correctly screened negative.

All authors declared no conflicts of interest. The screen was derived from an AS-ATN questionnaire, but the supplied text does not state who funded the study.

Do not use the 17-item parent report as a diagnosis or as a validated tool. The screen for any GI disorder caught 83.6% of children with a disorder, but only 43.4% of children without a disorder were correctly screened negative, and the authors say it still needs testing in other ASD samples.