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Tik-Tok for autism information? Nope

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In a highly discussed paper, researchers from Drexel University report their findings on a scientific and methodologically rigorous study on the accuracy of information posted on the social media platform Tik-Tok. They also discuss where the information comes from and how it is viewed. The accurate and inaccurate posts get “liked” equally, meaning they are taken just as seriously. There are billions of inaccurate posts being viewed, and misinformation spread. On this week’s podcast, all four authors of this paper summarize what they found and what families should know.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37544970/

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The Science of Screeners for ASD

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Screening for autism is meant to cast a broad net to gather those who show enough features to be included for a full diagnostic evaluation. The most common of these tools is the MCHAT – the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers. An author of the MCHAT, Diana Robins, and a colleague, Andrea Wieckowski and others gathered over 50 studies (English and other languages) in different types of samples (high likelihood and low likelihood) to determine how the MCHAT was doing in terms of finding infants with autism as well as excluding those without autism. It also touched on how well primary care doctors were doing in administering this tool. If you want to see the MCHAT for yourself or take it for your child, there is a FREE website, click here: https://mchatscreen.com

To read the paper, click here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36804771/

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Quality vs. Quantity in an autism diagnosis

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In the fight to ensure everyone with autism is detected and diagnosed as early as possible, community providers are sometimes pushed to the limit in what they can do.  They have a huge caseload and there are long waitlists.  So how accurate are autism diagnoses given by these providers with little time and little resources for training?  As it turns out, they are just okay.  Approximately 23% of those diagnosed by community providers were not diagnosed using standardized and validated autism tools.  How can we weigh this potential over and mis-diagnosis with the potential for missing individuals with autism and depriving them of interventions and services?  That’s a topic for another discussion.  However, one question on the cause of autism was addressed and a theory debunked:  autism is not caused by caesarean section deliveries altering the microbiome, and then leading to ASD.  The microbiome may be involved, but not because of method of delivery and use of antibiotic medications.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30270970

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30273187