The autism symptom interview, school-age: A brief telephone interview to identify autism spectrum disorders in 5-to-12-year-old children.

This was an initial validation, not a final clinical test. The items and cut-off were chosen using the same sample, so they need replication in independent samples. The nonverbal sample was too small to establish accuracy or recommend a cut-off. Children with known genetic syndromes were excluded, so results may not apply to children with those conditions. The non-ASD group was mostly children with established non-ASD diagnoses, not children referred specifically for ASD concerns, so false positives in a clinic referral sample could differ. The interview did not have high enough specificity to identify ASD by itself, and scores overlapped between groups. The interview does not provide domain scores or severity, so it cannot describe the symptom profile.

Lord, Gotham, and Bishop receive royalties for ADOS, ADOS-2, and ADI-R; royalties from their own research or clinical activities are donated to charity. The supplied text does not state a funding source.

Do not use the ASI alone to diagnose or rule out ASD. At the tested cut-off, it flagged many children without ASD, and the authors state it did not reach high enough specificity for isolated use. A direct observation assessment is still needed.