M-CHAT-R/F Toddler Autism Screen

Scores the M-CHAT-R/F toddler autism screen over its twenty items, for children between 16 and 30 months.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Age
20 months
Item 1
No
Item 2
No
Item 3
No
Item 4
Yes
Item 5
No
Item 6
No
Item 7
No
Item 8
Yes
Item 9
No
The other 11 values
Item 10
Yes
Item 11
Yes
Item 12
No
Item 13
Yes
Item 14
Yes
Item 15
No
Item 16
No
Item 17
No
Item 18
Yes
Item 19
Yes
Item 20
Yes

Result: a total of 8 is high risk

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

0 to 2
Low risk. No further action is called for on this screen.
3 to 7
Medium risk. An instruction to administer the Follow-Up, not a referral and not a pass. On the Follow-Up, 2 or more is a positive screen.
8 to 20
High risk. Bypass the Follow-Up and refer now, for a diagnostic evaluation and for an early intervention eligibility evaluation.
Items 2, 5 and 12
Reverse-scored: on those the at-risk answer is yes, and on the other seventeen it is no.
16 to 30 months
The age range the instrument was validated in. Outside it the total does not carry its published meaning.
Under 24 months
A low score before the second birthday is screened again after it.
A negative screen
Does not rule out autism. Screening is not diagnosis, and surveillance continues at every visit.

What you enter

  • Age
  • Item 1.
  • Item 2.
  • Item 3.
  • Item 4.
  • Item 5.
  • Item 6.
  • Item 7.
  • Item 8.
  • Item 9.
The other 12 fields
  • Item 1. Looks across the room when you point at something
  • Item 2. Any concern that the child might not hear well (reverse-scored: yes is the at-risk answer)
  • Item 3. Pretend or imaginative play
  • Item 4. Likes climbing on things
  • Item 5. Unusual repeated finger movements near the eyes (reverse-scored: yes is the at-risk answer)
  • Item 6. Points to ask for something
  • Item 7. Points to show you something interesting
  • Item 8. Interest in other children
  • Item 9. Brings things over to show you
  • Item 10. Responds when you call their name
  • Item 11. Smiles back when you smile
  • Item 12. Upset by everyday noises (reverse-scored: yes is the at-risk answer)
  • Item 13. Walks
  • Item 14. Looks you in the eye while you are interacting
  • Item 15. Copies what you do
  • Item 16. Looks where you are looking when you turn to look
  • Item 17. Tries to get you to watch them
  • Item 18. Understands what you tell them to do
  • Item 19. Checks your reaction to something new
  • Item 20. Likes movement activities
  • Follow-Up score, if the Follow-Up has been administered
How this is calculated

Robins DL, Casagrande K, Barton M, Chen CA, Dumont-Mathieu T, Fein D. Validation of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-up (M-CHAT-R/F). Pediatrics. 2014;133(1):37-45. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.