The earlier the intervention, the more effective the support for children with autism. Early diagnosis is therefore a key factor for success. Despite progress made in recent years, the waiting time for an official diagnosis unfortunately remains too long.

However, early detection of autism spectrum disorders is possible. One of the most widely used tools is the C.H.A.T. questionnaire (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers), which applies to children between 18 and 24 months of age. For intellectual property reasons, the version of the questionnaire presented here is intentionally outdated. A more recent and comprehensive version is available on the website presenting the M-CHAT-R (© 2009 Diana Robins, Deborah Fein & Marianne Barton).

Questions for parents (yes / no answer)

1. Does your child enjoy being swung, bounced on your knee, etc.?
2. Does your child take an interest in other children?
3. Does your child like climbing on things, such as up stairs?
4. Does your child enjoy playing peek-a-boo/hide-and-seek?
5. Does your child ever pretend, for example, to talk on the phone or take care of dolls ?
6. Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to ask for something?
7. Does your child ever use his/her index finger to point, to indicate interest in something?
8. Can your child play properly with small toys without just mouthing, fiddling, or dropping them?
9. Does your child ever bring objects over to you (parent) to show you something?
10. Does your child look you in the eye for more than a second or two?
11. Does your child ever seem oversensitive to noise? (e.g., plugging ears)
12. Does your child smile in response to your face or your smile?
13. Does your child imitate you? (e.g., you make a face – will your child imitate it?)
14. Does your child respond to his/her name when you call?
15. If you point at a toy across the room, does your child look at it?
16. Does your child walk?
17. Does your child look at things you are looking at?
18. Does your child make unusual finger movements near his/her face?
19. Does your child try to attract your attention to his/her own activity?
20. Have you ever wondered if your child is deaf?
21. Does your child understand what people say?
22. Does your child sometimes stare at nothing or wander with no purpose?
23. Does your child look at your face to check your reaction when faced with something unfamiliar?

For families

The purpose of the questionnaire is to broadly screen for autism risk. As such, it has a high rate of false positives, meaning that not all children with elevated scores will necessarily go on to develop autism spectrum disorders.

A diagnosis made by a qualified physician therefore remains essential.

Questions aux professionnels (réponse “oui” ou “non”)

1. During the consultation, did the child make eye contact with you?

2. Gain the child’s attention, then point toward an interesting object across the room and say, “Oh, look! There’s a [name a toy]!” Observe the child’s face. Does the child look in the direction you are pointing to see what you are showing?
   

   Note: To answer “yes” to this question, the child must clearly look at the object you indicated—not merely at your hand.

3. Attempt to engage the child in pretend play. For example, gain their attention, hand them some toy dishes (such as a teapot and cup), and say, “Can you make a cup of tea (or coffee)?” Does the child pretend to pour and drink from the cup?
4. Ask the child to point to an out-of-reach object with a familiar name. Gain their attention and say, “Where is the [object name]?” Does the child point to the object using their index finger?
   
   Note : To answer “yes,” the child must also glance at your face while pointing.

The scoring algorithm is not included here. It is recommended to use the most recent revised version, the M-CHAT-R, which includes its own scoring algorithm.