Everything You Need to Know about M-CHAT
Advances in medical research and technology have enabled healthcare professionals to screen for various diseases, disorders and conditions from an early age. Such pre-diagnostic screening has greatly benefitted the overall health of all people, helping to identify concerns so early interventions can be taken.
In fact, these screenings happen from a very early age. Pediatricians, for instance, begin to screen their patients for developmental milestones starting as young as 9 months old.
In addition to these routine screenings, they are also guided to screen specifically for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at well visits when children are 18 months old and 24 months old.
What these screenings do is help medical professionals and parents understand whether children might be at risk for having autism. There are many tools that can be used to do these screenings, and one is known as the M-CHAT, or Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers.
Let’s describe in more detail what the M-CHAT is and what it involves.
Table Of Contents
What is the M-CHAT?
The M-CHAT is a common tool that’s used to screen for autism. It was developed specifically for children who are between 16 months old and 30 months old.
The M-CHAT is a parent self-report, which means the parent will answer 20 yes-or-no questions about their child’s specific behaviors. Some examples of questions that are asked include …
- Have you ever wondered if your child might be deaf?
- Does your child like climbing on things?
- Does your child make unusual finger movements near his or her eyes?
- Is your child interested in other children?
- Does your child respond when you call his or her name?
What the M-CHAT seeks to do is identify where there is any cause for concern about a child’s specific risk for developing ASD.
How the M-CHAT Works
In many pediatric practices today, parents will be given a questionnaire to fill out or respond to on a tablet before their child’s well appointments for 18 months old and 24 months old.
There are 20 questions in total as part of the M-CHAT, and it can normally be filled out in just a few minutes.
The questions ask parents about their child’s typical behavior patterns. Parents are told to respond “no” for an item if their child has exhibited a specific behavior only a few times.
The tool covers some of the key behavior patterns and developmental areas that are most associated with ASD. This includes repetitive behaviors, restricted interests, communication skills and social interaction.
Based on the results of the M-CHAT, a follow-up interview might be conducted by the pediatrician with the parents who filled it out. This could be done to clarify some responses that were given and to gain detailed information as to why the parent might have responded in a certain way.
Why is the M-CHAT So Important?
Screening tools such as the M-CHAT are so important because research has shown that the earlier an ASD diagnosis can be given, the more successful early-intervention strategies will be. That’s why pediatricians use the M-CHAT to try to identify some of the warning signs of ASD as early as possible.
When a child is diagnosed with ASD, they are able to take advantage of the many different treatments that are available for them today. The leading treatment for ASD is known as applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy.
Using positive reinforcement and repetition, ABA therapy helps children on the autism spectrum build the social, communication and daily life skills with which they typically struggle. In turn, they are able to improve the quality of their life.
The reason why the M-CHAT is administered at 18 months and 24 months old is because of medical research that shows a child’s first three years are when the brain plasticity is highest. In other words, it’s during this time that the human brain is most able to learn and adapt based on new things being taught.
So, if early-intervention treatments such as ABA therapy are able to be administered early on, they have a higher rate of success.
Blue Gems ABA Diagnoses and Treats Children with ASD
The M-CHAT is an important early screening tool that medical and mental health professionals use to identify the early warning signs of autism in children.
At Blue Gems ABA, our team of clinical psychologists use tools such as the M-CHAT as part of our in-depth evaluation process for every child we see. If appropriate, we will diagnose a child with ASD and refer them to ABA therapy treatment services.
We also have a team of experienced BCBAs who administer ABA therapy on a one-to-one basis, creating personalized treatment plans that cater specifically to each child’s unique strengths and challenges.
To learn more, please contact us today.
617-297-7998
617-340-3371
info@bluegemsaba.com
English 
Spanish