Reliability of Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition, Assessments Using Telepsychiatry for Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Their Caregivers: Randomized Feasibility Study.
Shunya Kurokawa, Kensuke Nomura, Nana Hosogane et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized feasibility study evaluated the interrater reliability of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Second Edition (CARS2) between telepsychiatry and face-to-face assessments in 73 children aged 6 to 17 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or ADHD. The overall intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for CARS2 total scores was 0.582, indicating moderate agreement between the two assessment methods.
Key findings
- The overall ICC for CARS2 total scores was 0.582, indicating moderate agreement.
- The ICC was 0.546 for participants with ASD and 0.495 for those with ADHD.
- Higher ICCs were observed in girls (0.666) compared to boys (0.495).
- Older children (aged 11+) had a higher ICC (0.676) than younger children (aged 10-).
Why it matters
Understanding the reliability of telepsychiatry assessments for neurodevelopmental disorders is crucial, especially as remote evaluations become more common. This study provides evidence that telepsychiatry can be a viable option for assessing autism, though it should complement traditional methods.